


Strange Things Will Happen

by DeviantAlicee



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, Gavin has a foul mouth, Heavy Angst, Kidnapping, M/M, Machine Upgraded Connor | RK900, Nines doesnt have a name at the start but he will!, Nines doesnt really talk much, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, not quite mute but yknow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-05-13 01:58:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 67,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19241518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeviantAlicee/pseuds/DeviantAlicee
Summary: Detective Gavin Reed is one of the DPD's best, solving every case thrown his way & always taking the gruesome cases from the other officers so they don't have to deal with the emotional baggage that follows. Reed is a master at bottling up his emotions projecting them only as irritation & a short temper but he gets his job done. The only case he can't seem to solve is what goes on inside the metal head of his new partner, a quiet, daunting android who's temper is almost as short as Reed's. But as time passes they begin to form a dynamic until a case swallows them whole; throwing them into the deep end of a pool of emotions, trauma & mystery as RK900 goes missing, leaving the detective to carry the weight of the whole alone.





	1. Worst In Me

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve literally never written a fic before so here goes nothin’!   
> This is a bit of an edit but: I have long since finished this fic but I just wanted to type up a quick lil thank you for those who stuck around to read it through. It isn't perfect & a lil messy but as I progress with my writing, I figured I'd come back to this fic to patch up my poor sentence structure & what not. (If you read this before I fixed the paragraph lengths: your patience for me is immeasurable. Thank you!)
> 
> Each chapter title will be the title of a song so I'll put the song in the notes section!  
> I also wanted this chapter to come full circle so it starts with him in the bathroom but then the events unfold showing how he ended up there in the first place, the chapter ending exactly where it started.
> 
> Worst In Me - Unlike Pluto

Some people left a lot to be desired, Gavin Reed thought to himself as he stared into his reflection in the precinct's bathroom mirror trying to compose himself, his reflection staring back with sunken, deep hazel eyes, deep red & purple hues lingered around the underside of his eyes like permanent bruises, proving to be more & more noticeable with each passing day, as if they needed some form of control of his face. The scruff along his jaw making him seem that much more intimidating, as if he needed that when his personality shone through unapologetically in the form of colourful insults & passive aggressive comments. The scar running along the bridge of his nose ever prominent & a constant reminder of the type of man he was.

Troubled, messy, lost, & an all round human catastrophe.

That thought made him snicker to himself, as if anyone cared enough to give him a second glance, but if they did, they would be able to tell that the scar wasn't just from some silly bar fight that escalated too quickly while he was absolutely smashed, but rather a reminder that deep down he was a good man, a man willing to put himself in harms way, into the arms of danger if it meant keeping others safe, especially those he cared about. One again, the man snickered to himself at the thought. Caring. No, that isn't a word that people would use to describe Gavin Reed, he knew that all too well. He intimidated people, made people nervous. His fellow officers would divert their gaze from him the moment his voice raised even half a decibel, he could tell he put them on edge; nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of Gavin Reed's short temper. Hell, even the Lieutenant decided it was probably for the best if he just left Gavin alone while he was on one of his bad days, which lately, seemed to be everyday. 

That was until a looming 6 foot 2 shadow stalked through the glass doors of the precinct, following his predecessor straight through the bullpen & into the fish bowl better known as Captain Fowler's office without even a glance to any of the faces who gawked in their direction, all just as confused as one another at seeing double. Gavin had glanced around from the coffee machine he was currently stationed at in the break room, the sudden mutterings of his coworkers peaking his attention for a mere moment before shrugging, the smell of roasting coffee beans filling his nose bringing him back to the task at hand.

He brought the mug to his lips, inhaling deeply through his nose before taking a few sips, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment of the warm liquid bringing his organs to life. Of course, that perfect little moment in Gavin's tragedy of a life wouldn't last, of course it wouldn't, no matter how small the happiness was, it was Gavin we're talking about so obviously something had to take it away from him; that something coming in the form of Captain Fowler's voice bellowing through the mumbles of his coworkers.

"Detective Reed! My office. _Now!"_

The detective groaned into his coffee cup, knocking the rest of the beverage back as if it were a vodka shot & slammed his cup down onto the counter top, if he had used anymore force, the cup would have sat there in pieces. With a sigh, Gavin trudged ungracefully into the Captains office, ignoring the eyes following him, instead choosing to glare at Fowler with his usual look of disdain, paying no attention to the fact Connor was quietly sitting beside his doppelganger just a few feet away. Fowler rolled his eyes, used to Gavin's hostility at this point & just like everybody else, chose to ignore it & instead gestured for the detective to take a seat beside the doppelgangers; which he did with yet another aggravated sigh to show his clear annoyance over his moment of peace being disrupted before piping up with a voice just above a mutter.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Captain?" Gavin's voice bitter, contradictory to his words.

Fowler rubbed at his face, clearly already dreading the moments that are about to take place. He took a deep breath, collecting his words before responding in a stern yet disconcertingly calm tone.

"As everybody is thoroughly aware, with the android revolution working out in favour of the androids, it has meant we've been able to keep one of our best detectives on the team" Fowler glanced in the direction of Connor before bringing his gaze back to Gavin, continuing, "that being said, when Cyberlife were raided, an RK900 unit was saved in the process. This model was created with the sole purpose of being one of the most intelligent interrogators to ever exist. Smarter, faster, stronger & more resilient than his predecessor; Connor. With that in mind, opting to not have him working in the DPD would be a clear mistake on my behalf. We could use a tool of such diligence."

Gavin stared at his Captain with his eyebrows knitted together, eyes cold but with a spark of curiosity as to why Fowler had decided to dump all of this bullshit on him rather than talking with the Lieutenant about it. It was clear that man had a thing for androids; what, with Connor following him around like a lap dog even after his deviancy. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, really not in the mood for thinking about the old man & his Over Glorified Roomba & God knows whatever else those two got up to outside of the precinct.

Reed glanced over to the RK900 unit sitting beside his predecessor, taking in he sight before him. He now see's what all the mutterings of his coworkers was about, the RK units were practically identical to one another. Key word being practically. Their faces were indeed a reflection of one another except for the fact that Connor had deep, warm brown eyes which in turn made him look trusting & kind. Connor was tall but even sitting down, you could tell that the RK900 had a few inches on him, that itself made the detective's nerves bubble in his stomach as he himself barely scraped 5 foot 9. Not only this, but, the RK900's most prominent physical features were those cold, icy blue eyes, eyes that Gavin could already tell showed zero remorse for anyone or anything that were to get in the way of the unit.

He was wearing a long, white Cyberlife branded coat with a black turtleneck underneath, making him look that much taller & daunting. Reed wasn't entirely sure how long he was staring at the android for but the sound of Fowler clearing his throat brought the detective back to reality & he snapped his attention back to his captain, being sure to keep his eyes narrowed.

"Now, Detective Reed-" His superior began with a hint of what Gavin could only detect as nerves in the Captains voice; "I know that you aren't the biggest fan of androids, or anything that breathes for that matter... But it's time for you to put aside whatever feelings & issues you clearly have towards them & learn to accept that they will be working alongside us for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, I've decided that this RK900 unit will become your new par-"

Captain Fowler was cut off before he could finish his sentence by the sound of the detective's hands slamming down on the desk in front of him, his voice practically rattling the glass of the office he was confined in.

" _What?!_ No fuckin' way! No fuckin' way am I gonna be partnered with a killer fuckin' toaster, you can forget about it!" Gavin could feel the vein in the side of his head pulsing as his heart rate shot up within mere seconds. He didn't need a partner, he had never needed a partner. Especially not one of these plastic pricks who did nothing to earn their place in _his_ department.

" _Detective!_ I'm not going to argue with you & I'm not giving you a choice. Put aside your petty emotions & get a grip. This android is going to be able to help the DPD drastically with the more gruesome of cases which is why he'll be  _your_ partner, we know you work on some of the darker cases this department has to deal with & this is your opportunity to have a partner who-"

Yet again, Fowler was cut off by his very surly detective making his way over to stand in front of the RK900 unit. Everyone in the room could tell that this was the moment the captain has been dreading from the moment he called for Reed to come into his office, immediately Connor stood, his negotiator skills kicking into play as he looked directly at the angry detective who stood before him.

Connor's voice was soft, clearly not wanting to escalate the situation anymore than the direction it was already heading. "Detective, please. Give RK900 a chance. He is my brother for lack of a better word & i can assure you that he is nothing if not one of the most competent minds here." Clearly that wasn't the right choice of words but then again, any choice of words seemed to be incorrect when it concerns Gavin Reed & his hostility. Connor was quite surprised as the next sequence of events unfolded before his eyes. The detective grabbed the front of the RK900's white coat, balling the fabric between his fists as he hoisted the android out of his sitting position & shoved him up against the glass walls of Captain Fowler's office, everyone from the bullpen glancing their way in shock. Fowler's hand quickly flew up in front of Connor's chest, stopping him in his tracks as he was about to get between the two men. Connor glanced at the captain with a worried look in his eyes before nodding & stepping back, his eyes & Fowler's both drifting to the scene in front of them as Gavin opened his mouth to spew more of what could only described as abuse.

"What? you mute or something, Toaster? You always let your  _brother_ do the talking on your behalf?" Reed spat with venom lacing each of his words. The RK900 stared down at the detective in front of him, his intense icy eyes void of any emotion despite Reed's clear goal to antagonize the android. Barely a few seconds pass, Reed still holding the front of the androids jacket in a vice tight grip, the android not reacting until Gavin spoke once more, clearly hitting a non existent nerve. "You cant just waltz into  _my_ precinct & act like you're better than me, I've been working my ass off in this damn place long before you & your dumbass brother were even a fuckin' idea!" Before anyone could compute what was happening, RK900 used his arms to break Reed's grip on his coat with ease, clearly able to do that from the moment the detective laid a hand on him but patiently waited for the right moment, one of his strong arms swiftly wrapping around the smaller detectives chest, forearm pressing against Reed's throat, spinning him around so Gavin was facing Fowler & Connor. The man yelped as a leg kicked into the back of his knee, causing him to cripple down onto the ground & in one quick motion, Reed was on his back on the floor of his captains office with a heavy foot resting on his chest, pinning him in place, eyes wide with surprise at the androids sudden outburst despite his stoic features. Attempting to gasp in a deep breath from being winded as his back hit against the cold, unforgiving hard surface of the office floor, Gavin glowered up at the unit who was pinning him to the floor.

"RK900!" Connor uttered out, quite stunned at the sudden outburst from his younger sibling. Cut off before he had the chance to say much else by the booming sound of Fowler's voice.

" _THAT'S ENOUGH!_ Both of you! RK900, let Detective Reed go & both of you get the hell out of my office & figure your shit out elsewhere.. without  _KILLING_ each other!"

RK900 took a steady step back, removing his foot from the chest of the detective who, if this were a cartoon, would have literal smoke pouring out of his ears, showing his rage. Without a word, not like he had even uttered one before, the android stalked out of Fowler's office & sat himself quietly at the empty desk opposite Reed's to get started on some work, Connor followed suite but sat himself opposite the Lieutenant, leaning over his table, obviously telling the older man what had gone on in the moments prior. Gavin on the other hand had stood himself up off of the floor & was still in Fowler's office, ready to spit out even more comments about androids taking his cases & well, quite literally, walking all over him. But before he even had the chance to get the words out, his superior cut him off right as he opened his mouth. " _No!_   No, Gavin, i'm not here to hear it, I don't care in the slightest & if you have a problem with my authority you can put in for a transfer to another precinct. Now get out of my office & back to work before I suspend your insubordinate ass." Just like that, Fowler turned his attention back to the terminal on his desk, ignoring Gavin as he idled for a few moments out of pure shock before he finally dragged himself out of the office, slamming the door loudly behind him. As he left the office, all of the eyes that were on him quickly diverted down to their desks as he stormed through the bullpen & to the precinct's bathrooms where he could take a breather & splash his face with some water so he can calm down before he quite literally explodes. Not a single person has ever had the balls to square up to Reed despite his constant aggressive behaviour towards everybody around him, keeping everyone at an arms length to keep himself emotionally safe as it were. Nobody has thrown a punch back, not unless they were a drunk asshole at a bar who got a little too close to Gavin's personal space, then the realisation sank in; that the previous events likely only took place because he got too close to RK900's personal space. With a shrug, Gavin splashed his face with some cold water, looking up into the mirror to see his angry self staring back.


	2. Masochist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days pass the detective by, still not a word escaping the lips of his partner, no matter how much Gavin tries to antagonize him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chpter two complete! This is just a short chapter to set a tone of how the first week of the two being partnered together is going, but now with a brief scene set, we'll be diving head first into the cases that have been troubling our favourite angry detective.  
> Just a little warning for expletive language because we all know my Gavin is gonnsa have a foul mouth on him!  
> Chapter title: Masochist - Mourners

The next few days went exactly as expected by anybody with at least half a brain cell, the presence of the detective & his shadow set everyone in the precinct on edge each day & for good reason. Everybody who works in the DPD have seen Gavin Reed's tense, disgruntled ways, but never this intense. Something about the way the air shifted around him simply made everybody want to back off more than usual. Gavin was angry, loud, volatile & messy. RK900 was silent, shadow like, calm & collected. The fact that the android was so silent was what really pissed the detective off to no end. The desk opposite his might as well have been empty considering nothing; not a single sound came from the unit, even his footfalls were almost silent, cat like. A shadow. Silent, always looming close by. Nothing. Gavin's thoughts trailed off for a few moments before he shook his head, grumbling nothing in particular to himself before casting his sour gaze above his terminal to his new partner who in turn, was staring down at his own terminal, LED spinning a soft yellow as he focused on his work.

"Be a lamb & go make me a coffee, would ya'?" He stared, the sour look never leaving his eyes, tapping his fingers on his desk in annoyance as he waited for a response from the android opposite. Nothing. Still nothing. Not a single peep out of the fucker for _four days straight,_ no matter how much abuse the detective hurled towards RK900. Even Gavin's coworkers had briefly mentioned he should stop being so damn cruel when RK900 did nothing in return. But, he brushed them off with his usual snide remarks, reminding them to not push it further. The machine seemed completely un-phased that Gavin even existed for that matter, simply getting on with paperwork & whatever the hell else he does in that metal brain of his.

Impatience washed over Reed, clear irritation only deepening the crease between his brows that was ever present. The irritation stemming from being ignored yet again. He stood a little too quickly, his chair falling & clunking against the precinct floor, a few of the officers near glancing up to see what had caused the sudden sound & nervously watched as Gavin stepped around his desk to the one situated opposite. The android in question stayed seated, not even bothering to look up from the digital paperwork flashing across his screen, too fast for a human to read, eyes still not flashing to the angry man standing beside him.

The android could tell Gavin was pissed, he didn't need to do a scan of the detective to know that much. His stress levels ever sitting at nowhere lower than 43%. Angst & agitation suffocating the air around them. He stayed staring at the screen, keeping himself calm, that was until Reed decided he was going to push his luck. _Again._ He glowered for a few moments before placing his hand harshly onto the androids shoulder, gripping it tightly as he spoke through grit teeth. "Hey, Toaster! I'm fuckin' talkin' to you, are you _deaf_ as well as mute?! You're a god damn robot, you're supposed to do as I say!" Gavin smirked slightly at his own words, he was thoroughly aware of what he was doing. He knew he was trying to get a rouse out of the android despite knowing that the machine could put him into the ground within a few simple seconds. Reed did this to anybody though, anybody who for some reason he decided deserved this antagonistic & bitter attitude he claimed as his own.

Gavin had a masochistic heart in that way, always picking fights with people he knew would only hurt him in return, whether that be strangers, his superiors or, well, now his partner too. He infuriated people so they'd bite & fight back. Maybe he thought _he_ was the one who deserved the pain. Not them. But that smirk quickly dropped from his face as the RK900's hand swiftly gripped the detective by the wrist, slowly removing his hand from his shoulder in a grip so tight he Gavin could have sworn he heard his bones crack. The android slowly twisted Reed's arm, his eyes finally becoming unstuck from the terminal screen & meeting Gavin's. The blue orbs still void of any emotion to indicate to his human partner that he'd crossed that line. _Again._

His grip didn't let up for a few more seconds which felt like an eternity for Gavin, white hot pain shooting from his wrist to his elbow & up through his shoulder as the android continued twisting his arm in the wrong direction, piercing eyes never letting up the stare they had right into Gavin's own eyes & soul. The android continued his cold gaze until the look of anger in Reed's features slowly morphed into a look of nervousness, only then did he let go of the detectives wrist, looking back to his terminal without a single crease in any of his features to suggest anything had just gone on between the two men. Still nothing, not a peep from the android. Gavin hugged his arm to his chest, kicking one of the feet of RK900's chair like a child, as if that would achieve anything at all before marching his way into the break room to get that damn coffee he wanted & craved at this moment.

_One. Two. Three. Four._

Gavin breathed deeply as he stood at the coffee machine, resisting the urge he had to shoot the fucker right between the eyes just to escape his ever presence, his eyes closing for a moment so he could compose himself, his anger really showing it's ugly side today. Sleep deprivation really did nothing to help the situation but it was hard to sleep when his days only seemed to be getting more & more stressful, that being evident on his face; those purple & red hues growing again, taking up residence across more of the space beneath his eyes. Reminding the world that Gavin Reed was indeed, slowly losing his sanity.

He sighed to himself, the cases he'd been working on seemed to tie in with each other in some way or another but he just couldn't quite place his finger on why, leading him to believe that  there was something more to them than simply coincidences but it wasn't like he could talk to his _partner_ about his theories so he kept it all to himself, leaving the RK900 in the dark about what was on his mind. Gavin sipped his coffee, leaning back against the counter, appearing to be in deep thought, yet again ignoring the mumbles of his coworkers as they muttered to each other about the physical altercations that seemed to be a running theme in his & the androids relationship. If you could even call it that. The fucking toaster didn't even speak to Gavin, not a single time since sitting opposite one another so Gavin decided he was going to do the same. Well, sort of. He wasn't going to speak to the android about anything work related. The only words that ever left his mouth projected a the machine were the ones that, if the android were a human, if he had _feelings;_ would sting & hurt them. But RK900 didn't have feelings. That was clear as day. The bastard was as cold as the ice in those eyes of his.

 

Another two days passed Gavin by, everything going in the same direction that the past week had been headed; the detective worked on cases all night, showed up for work with barely an hour of sleep in him, disgruntled & passive aggressive to anything that went near him, that included his new shadow of a partner who was still quiet, still getting on with his work & still proving to the detective that his foul words did nothing to affect the unit & his ability to focus on his task at hand which was not his incompetent human partner. Each time Gavin pushes his luck when it came to physical contact though, the android wouldn't hesitate in knocking him down a peg whether that be through carefully moving Gavin's hands off of his shoulders or dusting them away from his desk in which they slammed onto in small fits of rage.

The bullpen this morning was surprisingly quiet though, there were only a few officers actually at work today, RK900 already seated at his desk being one of those. Gavin sat at his desk, a cup of coffee in his hand, that hand being connected to a wrist wrapped in a splint from his previous altercation with his shadow, it actually leaving a more noticeable mark this time around, subjecting Gavin to the curiosity of his coworkers wondering what happened. Rumours spread fast though, he was already aware almost everybody in the precinct thought he was acting out over this new partnership with the android, which, he supposes, they were right in that regard.

Something in the back of Gavin's mind reminded him that he knew he was crossing lines that he sure as hell would be pissed over if someone crossed when it came to him, yet he found himself doing it anyway, repeatedly trying to get under the androids skin, to unnerve him in some way. He just wanted a reaction, he was aware of that. He wanted to see if there was any form of emotion under that cold exterior even if he did already know the answer, that didn't mean he wasn't willing to try anyway. Even if he did know exactly where it would land him if he pushed the android too far.

That was the difference between Connor & RK900, when worst came to worst & Connor was on the receiving end of Gavin's bullshit, when Connor had his hands on the gun, he simply used it to knock the detective out cold but Reed knew that if he got into that situation with the evil twin, it wouldn't hesitate to use that gun in the way it was originally intended. Taking a gulp of his coffee, the detective turned his attention to his terminal while pushing his thoughts of his Probably A Murderer partner to the side & began to work on the cases that have been plaguing his mind for the past week, rendering his sleeping pattern non existent. Something about them just seemed off.

Three separate murders in three separate locations of the city, three completely individual cases yet something about them seemed so damn familiar in Gavin's mind. Each time he read over a file, he felt a small sensation of Déjà Vu pulse through his body, setting him on edge in a way he just couldn't quite pin point. Each of the murders; if you were to pin them into a map, would be three points of an equilateral triangle but that didn't seem efficient enough to link the cases together. There was something itching the back of Reed's mind, he knew there was something more. Something he was so clearly missing, he just didn't know what that something was just yet. His mouth felt dry as he looked through the case file photo's yet again, torturing himself with trying to find something that he probably missed before. The morbid photo's of the mangled bodies burnt into the back of his dark mind at this point, he swiped through them before a quiet _PING_ from his terminal snapped him out of his train of thought. Swiping off the case files, he inspected the message that sat on his screen in a little text box on the left side, his brows raising out of pure curiosity.

[Detective? Your stress & anxiety levels have been spiking erratically since you sat down, more than the usual. Is everything okay?]

Reed stared at the message for a short while, stunned that somebody had bothered to see if he was okay, a little creeped out that whoever it was was scanning him without his consent. With that in mind, he knew it was an android & considering they were working with a skeleton crew today, the detective assumed Connor was the culprit with him being the only android in the building besides Killer Tin Can opposite him.

Gavin looked up from his terminal screen to shoot daggers at Connor, opening his mouth ready to tell the android to back the fuck off with his fake concern only to see the android busy at work, ready to file the evidence he had out on his desk, much too busy to be concerning himself with Gavin Reed of all people. He frowned to himself, shutting his mouth while glancing around the bullpen cluelessly before his eyes settled onto the android sitting opposite & to Gavin's surprise, there were those deep, iced over eyes, staring right back at him. A little taken aback, Gavin glared at the android, not entirely sure how to react so instead, choosing to react in the only way he knew how. Hostility. 

"Is this a fuckin' joke, Tin Can?! You aint said shit to me for the past week we've been stuck opposite each other but all of a sudden you decide you're going to hack my computer to see what is up with my fuckin' 'stress levels' as you put it?! Why the fuck do you care, it's none of your business!" RK900's gaze never faltered, he stayed staring at the smaller man as he spat his words out, the androids lips pursing for the briefest of moments but long enough for Gavin to notice, as if he were to speak before deciding to break his gaze, returning it to his terminal leaving Gavin staring at the android in complete confusion.

 _Seriously, what the hell is going on inside that brain of his?_   He thought to himself before finally bringing his attention back to the screen in front of him which now had a [sorry.] written in the text box. Ignoring it, Gavin set his mind back to those mysteriously troublesome files, finding himself having even more trouble in focusing on the task than usual. RK900 had made it very transparent that he had no interest in his partner at all, not unless it involved mild acts of violence, if you could put it like that, not like Gavin hadn't been the one to start each of their altercations in the first place.

He rubbed his face, somehow wishing that the action would solve his troubles. Letting out a loud sigh, head still in both of his hands, the words of his lieutenant passing through his mind for a moment _"What consumes your mind, controls your life."_ His superior used to tell him that fairly often, from back when he was a beat cop, troubled by the memories of rather grizzly murders before he grew accustomed to them. Its almost sad how that works. He remembers back to his first case; a teenage girl stabbed to death for breaking up with her boyfriend. When he arrived at the crime scene with Hank, he had doubled over on the curb, throwing up into the gutter at the sight, the smell & the horror of what humans were capable of doing in a fit of pure, undiluted rage.

Hank had rubbed Reed's shoulder & helped him through the whole case, even helping to fill out the paperwork & before he left for the night, that was when the lieutenant had uttered out those few words for the first time. He supposes the older man was right, but it wasn't like he even took his own advice in the first place, yet he felt the need to try with Gavin despite the detectives relentless efforts to shake his lieutenant off of his damn back over the years, slowly growing more & more bitter as his mind grew darker as he dealt with the aftermath of the human race tearing each other apart with no remorse. Now, not only did have to deal with humans, he occasionally had to deal with the whole other species they created killing each other too. Fuck, the world was a dark place & Gavin wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to escape it or try to fix it.

Removing his hands from his face with a defeated groan, the detective looked up at his partner who was still seated opposite, nerves beginning to boil in the pit of his stomach. In turn, the android glanced up to see why Gavin had made a sound, those intense grey/blue eyes staring right at his partner, his mouth still pressed shut into a thin line. Gavin still had his usual look of disdain washed across his features but it wasn't as intense as RK900 would have expected it to be considering the man's stress levels being so uneasy today.

The detective, yet again, wasn't completely sure how long he was staring at the android for while arguing with himself in his head but when he came back to it, those aloof, distant eyes were still staring right at him. Waiting, most likely. Right has Reed opened his mouth to speak to his partner in a civilized manner for the first time since the captain dumped them together, he was completely interrupted by the buzzing of his phone on his desk, inevitably crushing whatever ounce of confidence Reed had mustered to speak with his partner. Instead, he quickly picked up his phone to answer it, leaning back in his chair & breaking the eye contact he had just had with the android opposite. Leaving RK900 with his brows furrowing for barely a second before his face returned to it's usual, emotionless state, eyes returning to the terminal screen in front of him & if Gavin didn't know any better, he could have sworn he saw RK900 let out a deflated sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, if you do & the Kudo's are my typing fuel!  
> All my love; Alice.  
> I'll see you in the next chapter. Things are gonna get juicy from here on out!


	3. Cruel World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reed & his partner head out to a crime scene together; the detective's gut feeling taking over as he investigates the scene. That feeling of Déjà Vu creeping up his spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title: Cruel World - Phantogram (very catchy, I highly recommend giving it a listen!)

With his phone still held to his ear awkwardly with one hand, Gavin started to pull on his jacket, a sense of urgency engulfing his clumsy actions. RK900 watched the detective from the corner of his eye with mild curiosity, that curiosity only stemming from Reed's clearly hurried state while gracelessly clearing up the files he had scattered on his desk into a not-so-neat pile to the one side, all while still holding the phone to his ear. RK900 diverted his gaze when he saw the detective shove his phone back into his jacket pocket. 

"Another case." The words fell out of Gavin's mouth in a voice just above a mutter but without the usual acid coating them despite the short sentence being directed at RK900. Reed hurried out of the precinct with long strides, heading to his car. His shadow taking a moment before deciding to stalk out of the precinct after him, following the detective to his car; a 2015 Dodge Charger in a sleek black coat of paint. It looked a lot like a police cruiser just without the DPD's decals scrawled all over it, the android assumed that Gavin probably begged Fowler to allow him to use his own car rather than an obnoxious police cruiser which, he could understand. He could not picture his partner driving an actual DPD assigned car, that didn't exactly suit the detectives brash attitude. The black suits him; dark & intimidating.  

RK900 sat himself in the passenger side of his partner's car while Reed started the engine, not even glancing in the androids direction. His car had that clean, leathery new car smell but with a slight hint of stale cigarette smoke fighting for dominance over the more pleasant of the two scents. The detective stayed quiet, making RK900 wonder he even knew RK900 was there. That question was quickly pushed out of his mind though as Gavin sped down the road in the direction of the address he'd been given on the phone call earlier, it taking him about 7 minutes of driving in silence before he finally piped up with a voice that was yet again just above a mutter as if speaking to the machine beside him was still something that made Gavin angry, that not being much of a surprise to the RK900 considering it didn't exactly take a lot to make the detective angry.

"Another murder." His eyes never left the road, staring ahead as he drove, fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly as he spoke. "Another human killed, their android found dead in the same place as the body.. _Again.._ " Reed's thoughts trailed off to the three cases that had been haunting his mind recently. Each case having a human killed but their android also, yet the android was always tortured more than the human.

It didn't make sense as to why the androids were dead at the scene too. But each case seemed to have the same M.O. Why a human and an android? It didn't make sense, then again, nothing about his job ever made sense besides the fact that he was aware people were very fucked up & the world in which he's stuck in was indeed more cruel than he could have ever fathomed.

His thoughts were brought to a halt as he saw the soft glow of red & blue on the road ahead, signalling that the pair had made it to the crime scene. Parking his car messily onto the curb, Gavin jumped out, heading over to the small, abandoned looking factory in which the scene had taken place & hurried straight through the tape; that sense of urgency overwhelming him again. RK900 followed close behind but not too close, his scan of the detective showing his stress levels to be sitting at a confident 67%, the android could sense the seriousness in Reed's actions as he followed him into the crime scene, taking in the macabre sight before him.

There was a body of a brunette woman, no older than 30, her hands handcuffed behind her back, her body propped up into a sitting position against the back wall, what looked to be oil staining her bruised & bloodied legs. Blood trails lingered all over her clothes & matted in her hair. It was clear that she'd been traumatised, a frightened look forever chiseled into the victims features. Gavin thought back to his first case & how if that young detective back then would have seen cases like the ones he investigated today; he probably would have quit on the spot. Thank fuck for compartmentalizing, right?

Drawing his attention back to the body, his eyes cast to the blood scattered along the floor along with droplets of thirium. RK900 squatted down beside the victim so he could conduct an analysis of her for himself as Reed followed the thirium trail as it got progressively heavier, leading him to a dark, almost empty room with a large work bench being the only furnishing in the centre; an android's body lay across the bench, blue blood absolutely everywhere, thirium pump regulator missing, arms twisted & contorted. Even for Gavin, the sight made him a little queezy. It wasn't like he gave a shit about androids but even he was aware just how monstrous this was; especially if that android had been a deviant; painfully aware of it's situation. A part of Gavin's mind felt almost guilty for thinking it but he was just glad that it was the android that was subject to most of the torture rather than the human victim.

A tap on the detective's shoulder snapped him back into reality & he jolted around, brows tightly knitted together, that sour look lingering across his face again to represent the annoyance of his thought train being interrupted. It was his shadow who had grabbed his attention, those cold eyes washed over with a softer gaze than usual. He didn't say anything the detective, mostly just tapping him on the shoulder so he didn't startle the smaller man when walking into the room. The android made his way over to the thirium stained corpse without so much as a grimace showing on his face. It genuinely seemed like nothing could affect this android, no matter how morbid or gruesome. Words didn't affect him, seeing his own kind tortured didn't affect him, humans being killed didn't affect him. The only time anybody had ever seen the android react to anything at all was when Gavin stepped too close- 

RK900 scanned the corpse of the android to find out more information, once that was done, he dipped a finger into the thirium, bringing it to his lips to scan it only to be interrupted by the horrified voice of his partner.

" _Tin Can!_ Jesus Christ, what the fuck are you doing?! God, could you be anymore disgusting?" Gavin stared at the android in question, his eyes sparkling with disgust that was visible even in the dimly lit room, watching as RK900 looked back down to his fingers, bringing them back to his mouth, a smug look washing over his face before leaving as quickly as it showed, much too quick for Gavin to notice under the shadows being cast around the room.

RK900's empty greyish-blue eyes slowly looked up into his partners eyes, staring right at him as his tongue poked out of his lips, licking the thirium from his fingers as slowly as he could, LED pulsing yellow, spinning as his mind computed all of the data that was suddenly flying around behind his eyes, intentionally trying to get a rouse out of the detective, just like the detective had been doing to him for the past week. That resulting in his partner groaning in revulsion, turning away & pulling out his phone so he could quickly jot down notes about the crime scene, trying to focus on literally anything else. RK900 continued to investigate the body of the dead android, Reed's phone vibrating with a text message. 

[My receptors are in my mouth, Detective. Thanks to sampling the thirium, I now know more details about the body that couldn't be detected simply through a scan. But, you could have looked away. Yet, you stared anyway.]

The android heard his partner groan yet again quietly in response. He shot another glance to Gavin, a [Sorry.] popping up on the man's phone screen, he dismissed it, shoving his phone into his pocket passive aggressively, making his way to stand beside his taller partner, arms folded impatiently over his chest, his eyes staring down at the scene in front of them. Awkwardly quiet for a few moments before his arms suddenly unfolded, his body leaning closer to the body on the work bench, inspecting the android's head before turning to look at his partner, for the first time since being forced to work together; that look not being riddled with unpleasant emotions. Gavin piped up with a gruff voice, filled with an energy that the android couldn't quite pin point. 

"The LED is missing! Just like the others, Toaster, you know what this means?! The cases are _linked,_  I fuckin' knew it! Each of the bodies have been found in the same kind of  warehouse/factories just like this one!" Gavin's eyes were wide, surely waiting expectantly for some of response from his partner. RK900 was a little taken aback by Reed's sudden enthusiasm to actually speak about their work considering the past week; it was clear to the android that his partner was intentionally keeping all of the info on his cases to himself, trying to avoid letting RK900 in as much as he could. The android's features creased up for a moment, eyebrows furrowing & lips twitching as if to be in thought, his LED spinning yellow for a few seconds before settling back to a soft blue. Gavin's phone buzzed in his pocket & without even a second to spare he pulled it out, knowing exactly what, or who, it was that had created the notification. 

[Many android's remove their LED's after they deviate, Detective? That doesn't mean the cases are necessarily linked together. The bodies being found in an abandoned factory or warehouse doesn't speak for much either considering half of the buildings in Detroit are run down factories. These are just threads you are grasping at, Detective, there needs to be more solid proof, I will help you look into these cases if you truly believe there is something more. Are you jumping onto the assumption that Detroit could be housing a serial killer & the DPD haven't even caught onto it yet? If so, that is a very bold claim.]

RK900 stared at the smaller man in front of him & waited patiently. He added in the comment about helping the detective out in the hopes it would calm the rising stress levels in the man. He knew his partner was sleep deprived & desperate to find something but this just wasn't enough to back up his point. Besides, if this was the works of serial killer & Reed had been keeping the cases to himself without notifying his superiors about his findings then RK900 knew for a fact that  it could drop the man in a hell of a lot of trouble. Sometimes, the android thought to himself; it's a shame that somebody's bullheaded behaviour & blind need to prove that they can do everything alone will be their downfall.

Reed ran a hand through his hair in frustration as he read what this partner had to say. His voice coming out with more annoyance this time around. "Listen, you big hunk of metal, I'm fuckin' telling ya that this is another murder, linked to the other three that I've been juggling. Every single case is the same! A human is found dead with their android tortured & bloodied in the next room. Each of the android's missing their LED, I'm telling you that this, this isn't just some fucking coincidence. I _know_ it!" The detective was now much closer to his partner than he was originally; having stepped up to him while his words spewed out of his mouth, urgent & pressing. 

The hostile man had been rather civil in his words, or as civil as Gavin Reed could be up until this moment where everything slowly began to slip back into negativity as more words laced in derision left the man's mouth; "I don't expect a heartless machine like you to understand-" His finger prodded against RK900's chest to emphasise his point, RK900 not really responding besides a very, very slight flinch & his LED casting a soft yellow hue across the right side of his face, more prominent under the dim lighting. "-But this is a gut feeling I can't just ignore! You wouldn't fuckin' know what a gut feeling was if it punched you in the face; you're just a bundle of wires & code, all dressed up to fool humans into believing you have some importance!"

With that, Gavin shoved past RK900, who was still standing in the same spot, to march his way back to his car, trying to compose his breathing as he walked. He knew he was right. He knew right from the start that the murders were linked, there was no way they couldn't be. He hasn't figured out what the killer's motives are just yet, but he knows deep down in his gut that this is the work of a serial killer & Gavin knows that it's only a matter of time before another body shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me as things start progressing with the cases! The next chapter is gonna have some actual bonding between the two, yay !


	4. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Get a load of this monster,  
> He doesn't know how to communicate.  
> His mind is in a different place,  
> Will everybody please give him a little bit of space-"  
> \- Cavetown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this....a nice chapter we see?....Can you believe it...? Is this why people call it 'the calm before the storm'?  
> This is probably my longest chapter yet. There were so many more things i wanted to add but i decided I'll have to add them in later or else this chapter simply wouldn't end!
> 
> Chapter title: Home - Cavetown  
> (This song is actually so accurate in describing my version of Nines, I'm taken aback haha!)

His partner was many things; disgruntled, rowdy, difficult & short tempered to stay the least but the one thing Gavin was not, was late. That thought pulled RK900 out of his own head.

He had made his way through the glass doors of the precinct at precisely 7:30A.M, the same as every single day since his predecessor landed him this job with the DPD a week prior. He had got to his desk & had immediately set his mind to getting on with his work. Days like these were the androids least favourite. He much preferred to be putting his skills to use out in the field, knowing full & well that he is more capable than anybody else working in the precinct, even his brother for that matter, at analyzing crime scenes & reconstructing situations to find out exactly what had gone on.

Not to mention his improved speed, stamina & agility making chasing down suspects the perfect role for a model such as himself. Since starting his job, he'd only had one opportunity to chase down a criminal for petty theft. The only time he had been out in the field was when he & his partner were called out two days before. He wanted more. But instead, here he was, sitting at his desk, quietly working on cleaning up all of his partner's unfinished reports. He couldn't complain even if he wanted to though, considering without this job, he was more than likely going to be scrap metal.

Pushing those thoughts aside, not wanting to think about his close calls with what he could only call deactivation. It wasn't like he would have died. He cannot die, he is a machine. Machine's do not die. They are simply shut down. Those words repeated themselves in his head a few times as if by repeating them would have them sink in better although, the thought of being shut down rather than being considered 'dead' didn't exactly bring him much comfort.

The android had continued to quietly work for a few hours before realising that the time said 10:00A.M causing him to look up from his desk to the empty one situated opposite where his partner would usually be seated by this time. Despite Gavin's negative behaviour towards anything that existed; he was never late for work; or at least that's what RK900 had conducted from their past week together. Every morning at 9:20A.M, his partner would waltz into the precinct, coffee in hand & lazily slouch into his chair, kicking his legs up onto his desk with a smug smirk plastered across his lips; purely out of spite after RK900 made it clear he thought it was an unprofessional manner to be sitting. Having sent multiple messages to the detective regarding the matter. Even going as far as to push Gavin's feet off of the table so he would have to sit more formally. It never sank in though.

Curious on his partner's where abouts, RK900 decided to stand from his desk, leaving the precinct for a moment to check the car park for Reed's car. A frown barely creasing his eyebrows together when he saw the space which usually occupied the black car was empty. Making his way back into the precinct, the android first made his way over to his predecessors desk, his tall figure casting a shadow over the desk, causing Connor to look up from where his eyes were focusing on his terminal & into his brother's eyes.

"RK! Is everything okay? You're looking a little lost." The android shot his brother a cold glare for a few seconds, showing his displeasure at being described as 'lost' before his words popped into Connor's mind. Being able to speak to him in the same way as speaking with his partner except he didn't need to use computers or phones. His words flashed behind Connor's eyes as they were; as Gavin once put it: 'Over Glorified Computers' themselves.

[Detective Reed has not shown up for work this morning. He is here every morning by half past nine at the latest.]

"Maybe he simply overslept. Are you showing concern, Brother?"

The piercing cold glare coming from the taller of the doppelgangers only grew more intense with that statement. He knew what Connor was trying to do. He's been doing the same thing each day since he was saved from his inevitable doom known as Cyberlife. The older of the two androids was attempting to get RK900 to register some form of emotion.

The first few days after being rescued were spent trying to brute force deviancy into RK900 but to no avail. Nothing in him budged. No red walls showed up in his mind. No indescribable feelings twisted their way through his wiring & bio-components. He simply did not care. Nothing affected the android & he didn't understand why it made Connor so upset. He knew his brother had deviated & inevitably saved the lives of hundreds of androids thanks to it but for himself; nothing shocked him into that red wall. Connor knew it was because Cyberlife had made the code of RK900 much more complex than his own.

For Connor; the ability to interact well & blend in with humans was one of his strong suits. He was able to adapt to human unpredictability with almost no trouble at all. The android already had 'human' feelings deep down inside thanks to having to have them there to help him work better with the humans in the first place; it just took an emotional shock to jar them free. But Cyberlife knew that so while working on the upgraded model; there were no scripts within him that made him feel anything for humans; or androids for that matter. He merely felt nothing.

This feeling of 'concern' for his partner was simply due to the fact it was a surprise that the man didn't show up despite his routine. With all of that being said; each time he shows even the slightest pinch of consideration for others, it has his brother jumping onto it like his life depended on it. It didn't make sense. He was perfectly content with the way he was already. He was thoroughly aware of what emotions were; he just didn't have any of his own & he was fine with that.

Instead of replying to his brother, he stalked back to his desk to work for a few more hours incase Connor was correct in suggesting that his partner had just over slept, even if deep down he knew that was relatively unlikely given the bags that sat around the underside of Gavin's eyes. Showing that the man didn't exactly have stable relationship with sleep at all. The hours ticked by into late afternoon & RK900 had grown too restless with his thoughts overtaking his mind, unable to focus when he still didn't have answers as to where his partner was. He decided he was going to take matters into his own hands, writing the captain a quick yet formal email to explain his 'concerns' for the detective & waited for the response that gave him the go ahead to go & check on his partner, stating clearly for the android to be sure Gavin gets his ass into work bright & early the next morning to make up for his lack of presence today. Pleased with the reply, the android shut down his terminal & made his way swiftly out of the precinct doors, ignoring the knowing smile his brother had flashed in his direction as he left.

 

 _'What consumes your mind, controls your life.'_ There were those words again, running themselves around Gavin's mind in the voice of his lieutenant. Safe to say these cases are consuming his mind, slowly but surely eating away at what's left of the detective's sanity. Here we was, lying on his bedroom floor on his back, in nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants, having spilt his whiskey down his shirt earlier on in the night, staring up at a cork board that's pinned to his bedroom wall with physical copies of the recent cases pinned to it, post it notes with various thoughts jotted down all over them along with a map with the locations of  the murders all pinned up there with red string connecting them all into a perfect triangle; looking like something out of those old detective movies he's sure Hank would have watched as a teenager; he was old enough.

He wasn't too aware of how much time he'd spent lying on his floor, staring at the board but he was sure it was too much by the sensation of pins & needles beginning to crawl around his shoulder blades. His coffee has long gone cold, sitting abandoned on his bedside table near his head. Gavin was mildly aware that it'd been two days since the crime scene & he'd shown up for work the next day, his relationship with his partner returning to it's quiet ways, the android not bothering to leave any messages on the detective's computer, which he appreciated; not wanting to talk or think about how cold his words directed at his partner were back at the crime scene.

But, the detective hadn't bothered dragging himself into the precinct today. He'd spent the whole night trying to figure out where the next murder was going to take place based off the evidence he had in his possession; that going off the assumption that he was definitely dealing with a serial killer. He still hadn't told anybody at the precinct yet but he knew that it wouldn't take long for them to find out & scold him for his secrecy considering he'd told his partner about his theories during his lapse in judgement at the crime scene. He knew he should have kept it to himself but for a moment he just needed somebody to hear what he had to say. To listen to him, just one time. Even if the RK900 did shut him down.

The minutes continued to roll by before a loud knocking came from the detectives apartment door, he groaned from where he was still positioned on the floor before shouting "FUCK OFF" as loud as he could so whoever it was could hear him & could clearly tell he was in no state to be talking about Jesus or whatever the fuck they had to say. There was a peaceful silence for just a few moments before the knocking started again, this time a little more relentless & slightly louder, causing Gavin's stress levels to spike.

He reached an arm up to grab the coffee mug from the night stand above his head & hurled it through his open bedroom door so it hit against the wall beside the front door.

"I thought I told you to fuck off!" His voice was scratchier than he'd intended it to be, causing him to sound more pathetic than he would have hoped. But, the knocking seized & Gavin let out a relieved sigh from where he was still stationed on the floor; his hands coming up to rub at his face, the scruff around his jawline beginning to get out of hand. He didn't have the time to sleep & eat, let alone shave & make himself look like a presentable detective rather than a stereotypical Bad Cop.

The sound of the lock rattling on the detectives door was enough to push aside his feelings of self pity; his body immediately jolting into action; sitting himself up on the floor with his back against the bedside table, hand swiftly reaching for his gun he kept safely under his pillow, grabbing it, clicking off the safety & pointing it directly at his bedroom door, shouting with a raspy, dehydrated voice.

"I fuckin' hate having to repeat myself but I thought I told you to fuck off twice already! You should leave if you know what's good for ya'!" Ignoring his phone as it buzzed in his sweatpants pocket, he kept his aim steady, arms void of any shakiness despite the nerves swimming around his stomach as his front door was slowly pushed open.

A tall figure stepped inside, his apartment outside of the lamp that was on in his bedroom being too dark to make out any distinguished features. That was until the shadow stepped towards his bedroom doorway, avoiding the smashed coffee cup that lay in the doorway with a long step over the mess, the glowing yellow ring on the right temple of the figure coming into view.

Gavin exhaled loudly, clicking the safety back on his gun, slowly lowering it as the shadow known as his partner slowly made his way into the bedroom. "I could have fucking shot you, Dipshit!" He glowered, tucking his gun back under his pillow from his sitting position. "What the fuck is wrong with you, seriously? Not only do you not know what fuck off means, you broke into a DPD officer's home! I mean, _seriously?!_ " He placed emphasis on the seriously in the hopes RK900 would get the hint. Instead, the android walked right up to Gavin, clearing the space between them with barely a few steps thanks to his long legs.

He crouched down silently in front of his partner before reaching his hand around to get access to Gavin's sweatpants pocket. "Hey! What the fuck are y-"

Before he could finish, he was cut off by RK900 pulling the detective's phone out of his pocket, pushing the screen in front of Reed's face so he could read through the few texts that were written across the screen.

  
[Detective? You didn't show up for work today. Are you sick?]

  
[I'm coming over.]

  
[Detective, please do not shoot. It's just RK900.]

Gavin stared at the screen as it sank in that this was why his phone had buzzed while he had his gun pointing at the door. It was his dipshit of a partner trying to tell him he was going to come in. Even if it was by force. It took a few moments of staring at the screen before choosing to look up at his partner.

"For fuck sake, can a man not get any privacy? I leave you alone for _a day,_ what, you missed being my shadow that badly already?" His eyes stayed pinned on the androids face, hoping to see some form of reaction. Maybe even a response? Nothing. "Fucking figures" he muttered to himself under his breath, his phone buzzing again, the android still holding it up for him to see.

  
[Sorry, Detective, I was concerned.]

  
With that, the android placed the phone onto Gavin's lap, standing himself up & brushing out the creases out of his coat as he stepped towards the cork board on the wall, tilting his head slightly in a curious, puppy like manner as he processed the data. He let his eyes wander across all of the case files & photo's that were pinned up before drawing his attention to the map, leaning slightly closer, his hands clasped together behind his back as he inspected the triangle made from the red string. Each of the triangles points being where a murder had taken place, except for the most recent one. Gavin had been keeping these files under wraps pretty tightly.

Yes, he had access to them through his terminal & had given them a brief reading but the past week has mostly involved the android completing all of the unfinished reports Gavin seemed to neglect each time he moved onto a new case, deeming the paperwork as a chore. It infuriated RK900 but he decided he'd just get on with it rather than causing anymore tension between himself & his partner.

This was the first time that he was actually taking in all of the information on these cases that Gavin has been so obsessed with. He could hear the shuffling of his partners feet behind him, leaving the room for a few moments before returning with a glass of whiskey in one hand, coming up to stand beside the android who was still too focused on the map to look at Gavin. After a few short minutes of feeling his partners eyes burning a hole into the side of his head, he glanced at Gavin for a second before back to the map. It took a few more seconds & a swig of his drink before Reed actually mustered up the courage to say something, his voice still raspy, giving away the fact that his choice of drink throughout the day was of the alcoholic kind.

"Hey, Killer Tin Can, your disco ball has been putting on a right light show for the past 5 minutes, you got something going on in that metal brain of yours?" RK900 glanced to his partner, who was still in only his sweatpants, glass of whiskey finding it's why back to his lips, his eyes watching the LED on the side of his head. In that moment, despite it's un-professionalism, the android had decided he prefers a slightly tipsy Gavin; much more tolerable with much less hostility. His LED spun yellow again before settling on blue once more as Gavin pulled his phone out of his pocket as it vibrated.

[First of all; you have called me every name under the sun except for RK900. You do realise that is my name, correct?]

He waited for Gavin's response which came in the form of a snicker, shaking his head. "That isn't a name. We don't call Connor: RK800, so why should we call you RK900?"

The android as quiet for a few seconds, his eyebrows creasing for a moment as he thought about his partner's words, choosing to brush them off instead. He didn't need a name. He was just here to do his job.

[Anyway, have you noticed what is smack bang right in the center of this triangle of yours?]

Gavin's eyes flicked from his phone screen, up to meet the androids eyes then to the map on his wall. "Nice way of changing the subject, Roomba, we aint done with talking about your name" he muttered as he squinted his eyes slightly as if that'd help him understand the point his partner was trying to make; if he were sober, it probably would have clicked immediately but getting nowhere with the cases was starting to take a toll on the detective so having a few drinks to let off some steam definitely helped his mood tenfold.

RK900 took note of the clear struggle going on in front of him & he placed his finger on the center of the map, it landing right on the 7th precinct of the DPD; where both of the men worked, it also being the only precinct to have not one but two of the smartest prototype android officers. It took a second longer than expected for Gavin to register, likely due to his slight intoxication but when he did; his eyes immediately shot up to look up at RK900's face as he spoke.

"Hoooly shit! that's the precinct! Do you think that's a coincidence?" He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, downing the rest of whiskey before coughing slightly as it burned its way through his esophagus, stumbling a little against his partner. The android placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder to steady him before quickly pulling away, looking back to the wall of files, his LED slowly cycling, it being clear his mind has traveled elsewhere, leaving Gavin standing there awkwardly for a few seconds before he shuffled off to his kitchen, muttering quietly about things getting too confusing & it calling for another drink.

Minutes passed & the android continued to stare at the map; trying to see if he could calculate some form of pattern as to why the precinct was in the center of the murders, thinking that maybe his partner's gut feeling was right after all. Or maybe it genuinely was all just a strange coincidence. They needed more proof. Several minutes passed the android by; the detective hadn't returned from the kitchen still, causing RK900 to pull his attention away from all of the files to go & check on his partner.

He took a step over the broken coffee mug, making a mental note to clean that up later before the detective haphazardly steps onto it, causing himself harm. As the android made it into the small kitchen he was greeted with the sight of his partner sitting at the old table, a practically empty bottle of whiskey sat in his hands, his eyes staring down into the bottle, muttering incoherently to himself. RK900 frowned, his LED slowly morphing from blue into yellow as he made his way around the table, crouching down beside the detective so he can meet those deep emerald eyes with his own.

Gavin glanced down at the icy eyes staring up at him, using the back of his hand to wipe his nose, sniffling in the process. "What do you want, Toaster? Don't you have a job to get back to? Fuck off." His words left his mouth in a quiet, raspy voice, his words being slightly jumbled as the alcohol began to make it's way through the detective's veins. RK900 kept his eye's on Gavin's, his lips quivering at the edges before being pressed into a thin line, Gavin's phone vibrating but the man being too drunk to notice; or care. The android took the phone from his pocket yet again, passing it to the detective who squinted at the screen, vision mildly blurry causing him to have trouble in reading the writing across the screen.

[For the record, I told the captain that we had been dealing with a stressful case which is why you didn't show up today. He gave me the go ahead to come & check up on you. That's what  _partners_ do, Detective.]

Taking longer than usual to read the message but when it finally sank in, Gavin shrugged to himself, throwing his phone onto the table, the action showing the android that clearly the man was done with the conversation. The detective then proceeded to neck the rest of the bottle, standing a little too quickly all the while muttering something about how he didn't understand why the 'toaster' was here, believing he was probably only there to take the case from him.

Gavin didn't manage to finish whatever it was he had planed on saying though because the alcohol rushed to his head the same time as the blood did from standing too quickly, all of that multiplied by not sleeping for more than 2 hours for the past week causing the man to fall against his partner, body going almost completely limp. RK900 acted on his rapid reflexes though, catching the smaller man & swiftly yet gently throwing the man over his shoulder; carrying Gavin to the couch & very gently placing him down, being sure to position Gavin carefully on his side incase he threw up the copious amounts of alcohol he had been ingesting throughout the day, then taking a second to stare down at him.

Gavin was still lacking a shirt, giving RK900 the opportunity to let his eyes wander along his partners well built torso; it being clear he must hit the gym at least a few times a week. Reed had many scars that littered his olive skin which the android wasn't at all surprised over. His partner had a track record for throwing himself into danger no matter his odds of survival; anything to catch a criminal. He supposes this man must really love his job despite everything it throws his way.

RK900 let out an artificial sigh, deciding to get to the mental note he had made earlier & began cleaning up the smashed coffee mug; placing all of the smashed pieces into the trash can before using a hand towel to mop up the drying coffee, throwing the towel into the wash basket situated in Reed's bathroom. RK900 glanced around to take in his surroundings, Gavin's house reflecting his personality rather accurately. It wasn't like a man like Gavin would care for fine art for any form of dramatic decor.

The apartment was small & pretty empty besides the old furniture & a few shelves that were home to old books, video game cases & a few little figures that the android assumed were just something from Gavin's childhood. It was easy to tell the man didn't exactly care for aesthetics, everything that existed in his house existed out of convenience. If it weren't for the lack of dust, RK900 would have assumed this apartment was completely vacant.

The android was snapped out of his own mind as his ears picked up on the sound of soft whimpering coming from the living room. He wasted no seconds in briskly making his way back to the living room, looking towards the couch where the soft sounds were emanating. Gavin's facial features were scrunched up, sweat pickling along his forehead & bare chest while his legs moved in discomfort. The android addressed this as his partner suffering from a nightmare. His brows furrowed very slightly as he wondered if this could be the reason as to why the man had such deep red hues beneath his eyes. It wasn't like he didn't want to rest. He simply couldn't.

He contemplated waking the detective up but as his hand touched Gavin's shoulder, he could feel the skin beneath was freezing despite the sweat beading on his head. RK900 pulled his hand away, glancing around to see if a blanket was near but coming up with nothing. He idly hesitated for a moment before gingerly slipping his long, white coat off & very gently draped it over his partner's body, watching in slight awe as Reed's muscles immediately relaxed beneath the soft fabric, his hands balling the fabric of the coat; pulling it close to his face & burying his nose against it. RK900 reluctantly pulled his gaze from his sleeping partner so he could find some post it notes & a pen, jotting a note down in perfect handwriting; sticking the note to the coffee table that's situated in front of the couch.

  
"I cleaned up the smashed cup so you didn't hurt yourself & we'll get to work on this case & our leads when you're back at work tomorrow morning.  
Sleep well, Detective.  
\- RK900"

  
With that, the android left Gavin's apartment as quietly as he could, locking the door behind him with Gavin's key, posting the key back through the letterbox as silently as possible, without his coat but with a warm feeling creeping it's way slowly through his bio-components.


	5. Error In My Code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much I wanted to say in this chapter due to it being such a turning point in the story, it ended up being far too long to have as simply one chapter so I've decided to split it into two. This first half may seem quite calm but that's mostly because all sh*t goes down in the second half which is why it had to have it's own chapter!! But I'll post the second half immediately after this one though!
> 
> Chapter title: Error In My Code - Tyto Grey

The consistent ringing of Gavin's alarm on his phone from the kitchen table was annoying enough to pull anyone out of a sleep no matter how deep they were into their slumber. He groaned quietly to himself, using the heel of his palms to rub at his eyes as he slowly sat up all the while grumbling to himself about his headache & regretting drinking so much the previous day. The detective's brows furrowed together as he looked down at himself, surprised & confused at the clothing garment that was now sitting over his legs.

It took him a good few moments before the fuzziness in his head cleared & he registered the garment as his partner's thick coat that up until this point in time; Gavin had believed it was super glued to his partner's body. He stayed staring down at the makeshift blanket, bundling the soft fabric between his hands while inspecting the glowing triangle that sat perfectly on the left chest section of the material. He then let his eyes wander to the serial numbers that were printed in a perfect font along the right side; the RK900 written in bold, black letters. Gavin sighed to himself, shaking his head as the sound of his alarm drilling a hole through his head bringing him back to reality. The detective quickly pushed the coat aside, hopped up off the couch with a little stumble as he made his way into the kitchen to turn off his alarm & more importantly: to put on a pot of coffee. 

While the coffee was brewing, Reed leaned against the counter-top, glancing around his apartment as if somehow that'd help shake free the memories of the night prior that seemed to be under lock & key in his mind. Nothing seemed to help with that task until he noticed a little yellow piece of paper sitting on his living room's coffee table. He trudged over to it to investigate & picked up the post-it note, having to read it over a few times before the words began to make sense due to the pounding headache making it slightly more difficult for his eyes to focus.

He stared at the note while those nerves found their way bubbling in the pit of his stomach once more. It was clear that RK900 had been in his home & he had clearly opened up some more about the cases that were consuming his sanity. He vaguely remembered having pointing his gun at the android; that thought causing a quiet laugh to escape his throat. Just a week prior- if he would have had his gun pointed at his partner, he would have pulled the trigger, no doubt about it but now the android had not only been in his home but had cleaned up after Gavin, spoke about their cases like actual partners & had even let Gavin use his coat as a blanket. Although, the detective doesn't quite remember how that moment happened.

He shrugged to himself, pushing the note into his pocket & made his way back to the kitchen where he downed his scolding hot coffee before quickly having a shower & changing into his usual jeans, boots, douchey long sleeved v-neck with his leather jacket pulled over the top, shoving his phone into the jacket's pocket while he made his way to the front door. He glanced over at the coat that was sitting on his couch, his face twitching a little as he contemplated whether or not to return it to his rightful owner. That would involve everybody at the precinct seeing him walk in holding RK900's coat in his hands & he knew full & well just the type of rumours that a sight like that would cause. He rolled his eyes to himself followed by a soft "fuck it" mumbled under his breath as he picked up the coat, folding it neatly over his arm as he left his apartment to head into work for the morning.

RK900 was already situated at his desk, his LED spinning softly from blue to yellow over & over to indicate he was deeply focused on his work, wearing his usual attire except for his coat, leaving him in a long-sleeved black turtleneck instead which had peaked the curiosity of a few officers already, they had cracked a few joking remarks about how he is probably turning deviant by ditching his Cyberlife threads. All they gained from the android though was a glare so strong it almost spoke the words 'if looks could kill.'

His eyes looked up from where they were staring at the terminal as his ears picked up on the sound of familiar footfalls heading in his direction at 9:20 A.M on the dot. He glanced up as Gavin made his way over towards his desk, mildly surprised that the detective had his jacket over his arm. His scan of his partner showed his stress levels sitting at a confident 48% & RK900 wasn't stupid, he knew what their peers would be thinking, seeing Gavin holding the android's coat. They were childish in that regard, thriving off of rumours & other people's personal lives. The android was sure that if the other officers knew about Gavin's reasoning for having his coat, they wouldn't be snickering to themselves any longer. Nightmares were not exactly something that should be laughed about.

His thoughts were interrupted though as his coat was thrown at his face with a fair bit of force. He caught it quickly & very articulately placed it over the back of his chair as he had seen Connor do with his blazer from time to time. He sent a quick [Thank you, Detective.] to Gavin's computer knowing he would see it when he sat down as the detective made his way around to his own desk, turning on his terminal as he was about to sit, his actions being interrupted by one of their coworkers giggling as they called over in Reed's direction a mocking tone.

"We thought it was probably turning deviant not having its coat & all but nooo, Detective Gavin Reed had it the whole time! Oh how the times change, huh, Reed?" The officer shot a wink in Gavin's direction which only set the detective off even more. He stood up from his chair & marched up to the officer who instinctively backed away from the angry man in front of him, not like that did much as one of Gavin's hands gripped the officer's shirt, pulling him close as he spoke through grit teeth. "You got something to say to me, huh?! The stupid printer had left it in my car after a crime scene, that's all!"

RK900 was listening to the scene going on beside him, he knew Gavin wouldn't admit to his coworkers that he had slept with the coat, no, that would put a crack in his partner's tough guy exterior but he still couldn't help to slight furrow in his brow at the derogatory comment about him being a 'printer', especially after their talk last night where Gavin made a point about his name.

He brought his full attention back to the scene beside him though as the two men had begun shouting at each other. RK900 could tell that Gavin was about to lose his temper completely & shot up as he saw his partner's arm raise, balling his fist ready to throw a punch. The android swiftly stepped forward, placing a hand gently over Gavin's balled fist & slowly but with some needed force lowered his partner's hand. Gavin shot him an angry glare but RK900 brushed it off, giving his partner an almost pleading look as he glanced to Reed's desk. Gavin knew what the android was insinuating & threw another glare at the officer before stomping to his desk & slouching into his chair, kicking his feet onto the desk. RK900 followed & sat at his own desk, choosing not to mention his annoyance at his partner's feet being up on the desk but instead sending a message that stated simply:

[Thank you for not throwing that punch, Detective. Can't be having you on desk duty when we have work to do.]

Gavin's eyes shot up from his terminal & to his partner with a questioning look written across his face overtaking the angry one that was situated on his features previously. "What work?" He stated simply.

It took less than a second for a new text box to show up on his computer screen.

[Before you interrupted me by losing your temper, Detective, I was going to send you the file to another case that is in need of our attention. CSI should be finishing up with their investigation right about...]

RK900's LED flashed a subtle yellow for barely half a second before a text box simply stating [Now.] flashed upon Gavin's screen.

 

The pair had quickly made their way to the crime scene in Gavin's car, RK900's coat back where it belonged on his shoulders. They had done a thorough scan of the scene, taking in every detail & yet again the M.O matching perfectly to the previous crime scenes, this stomping out the idea that the other scenes were merely just coincidentally similar. RK900 knew it & Gavin knew it too. This was definitely the work of a serial killer & it wouldn't be long until the press & the public began to find out.

The pair had argued for a good hour in Gavin's car after the investigation over whether or not to tell Fowler. Reed believed he didn't have to tell his captain due to his solid belief that he could catch the murderer before the next attack. RK900, on the other hand, believed that they needed to tell their superiors before things escalated too far & both of the men lost their jobs. Reed could imagine that to anybody passing the car, it would look/sound rather strange. As if he were arguing with himself considering all of the android's responses came in the form of texts on his phone.

It was irritating having to stop shouting just to read what his partner had to say but at the same time, he knew that if they didn't communicate at all, they wouldn't have gotten this far in the first place. After what seemed like an eternity, Gavin's voice finally growing hoarse, the pair came to a compromise & drove back to Gavin's apartment where Gavin went straight to the corkboard to pinpoint on the map where this murder had taken place while his shadow stood still in the doorway, his LED flickering yellow & eyes fluttering slightly as he wrote out a long-winded email to their captain, explaining all of their findings & their reasoning to believe that there will be another murder soon if they do not figure out where it'll take place. RK900 knew that the moment they both stepped foot into the precinct next, they will have to deal with the wrath of Fowler but he decided to follow Gavin's orders anyway so the man didn't go off & get himself killed without backup.

Once the email was finished, RK900 made his way to the corkboard where his partner was standing & eye'd the map that now had the latest murder pinned to it. He stared for a few moments before picking up the red string, ignoring Gavin's interjections & carefully connected the latest murder to the one that they had investigated before Gavin didn't show up for work. He took a step back again so he could take in all of the map with Gavin at his side.

"If these most recent murders are following the same pattern as the others; that means that the next one should take place somewhere around here-" Reed's finger gestured to the right side of the map, showing that if another murder were to take place where his finger was pointing to, it would connect with the most recent of the murders, creating a smaller triangle around the precinct. Gavin pulled his phone out of his pocket as it buzzed.

[If my calculations are correct, which there is no way they couldn't be; there is only one abandoned warehouse in that sector of Detroit. The coordinates of said warehouse would indeed create yet another equilateral triangle if it were pinned to the map with the string attaching it to the other murders.]

"We have to go & check it out, now! Even if it's just to scout out the area so we can see if your calculations are correct. Maybe we could even catch the bastard in the act of setting up the scene! We  _have_  to check it out, Tin Can. I ain't backing down on this one." Gavin's eyes were filled with a passionate flame as they stared up at the android.

RK900 could tell that the detective was eager to have these cases solved & have the murderer put behind bars but throwing themselves into possible danger without a plan wasn't exactly going to help them out & besides, there was usually at least a few days between each of the murders which meant they had at least a day & a half to come up with a viable plan. RK900 explained all of this through texts to Gavin's phone & they disagreed yet again for a good few minutes before Gavin finally gave in, most likely due to the fact his desire to catch the killer in the act was much higher than his desire to simply check out an abandoned building.


	6. Error In My Code (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following on from the previous chapter; Reed & his partner set out onto a stakeout that doesn't quite end the way the pair had planned...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Immediate continuation from the last chapter as promised <3  
> (Chapter title is still the same as the previous one considering it's just the same chapter split into two)

RK900 was right in assuming they would feel Captain Fowler's wrath because as soon as Reed had walked into the precinct the following morning, they were both called into his office & the man just let loose. His voice was raised with clear annoyance at the pure bullheaded behaviour that Reed was showing by keeping the cases to himself. RK900 was scolded repeatedly for not being better & telling his superiors anyway despite Gavin's opposing opinions. For once though, this partner did have his back & was shouting back at his captain, explaining that it wasn't like he gave the 'Toaster' much to go off which is why Fowler wasn't told sooner by the android.

Fowler's voice had cut through the detective's words though as he looked back to RK900, asking if he had anything to say for himself. The android's face stayed stoic & unbothered despite being unsure on whether it was a rhetorical question or not. He was sure that the captain was aware his voice box was not perfected when he was pulled from Cyberlife's grasp. The company had been far too busy playing doctor with his code, turning him into one hell of a cold-hearted, emotionless... Machine. He's the perfect killing machine. The perfect interrogator if only he could actually, well, interrogate. Stone cold glares only got somebody so far. The voice box of an android being the last thing they would configure considering it was deemed the least important of the process when they thought they had all the time in the world to dig their fingers into RK900's circuits. Only their time was cut short & RK900 was left with no voice but a whole lot of things he felt the need to say. 

He stared at Captain Fowler before glancing to his partner who let out a breathy laugh under his breath. "Seriously, Captain? Even I'm aware of that poor choice of words. If you're not careful, you'll sound like a bigger dick than me." He laughed again, ignoring Fowler's glare that was shot in his direction. The captain decided to change the topic back to what was actually important, likely to hide the shame that was creeping along his cheeks in the form of the blood rushing to the surface.

"Work this case. Work fast & update me on your every move & most importantly: _TAKE BACKUP!_  Now, get the hell out of my office!" Fowler had his eyes staring right into Gavin's as he mentioned backup, leaving RK900 to believe this was something that was a common problem that came in hand with Gavin's need to achieve everything by himself with no help. Again, this was definitely going to be that man's downfall. RK900 was slightly grateful in this moment that he was the detective's partner, having a higher chance than anybody else at keeping the man alive for as long as possible. With that, the pair left their superior's office & headed straight out of the precinct doors & to Gavin's car so they could go & check out the warehouse that RK900 had calculated being the most likely place for the next murder to take place based off of the patterns Gavin had pieced together.

The pair had been sitting on a small stakeout for a good few hours, car parked just on the outskirts of the road that had the warehouse on it, being sure to have the whole of the building in view. Much to Gavin's difference in opinion; RK900 had stated it was best that they simply did surveillance for a while instead of going in with no backup. They came to yet another compromise, Gavin only agreeing to stay in the car if RK900 paid for his dinner which he reluctantly agreed to & then had to sit & watch as his partner wolfed down a Big Mac & large fries within a few minutes.

RK900 knew that his partner was growing restless & bored as the day shifted into night, the detective making it pretty clear with his constant fidgeting & the need to ask annoyingly personal questions that on any other day would have never left the human's mouth but his boredom causing him to want to speak to his partner, actually acting civilized for a while despite the constant mutterings about needing something to happen before he falls to sleep out of sheer boredom. RK900 knew though that the likelihood of his partner sleeping was very low though given his relationship with slumber was less than stellar.

"So-" Gavin began & the android knew that this was going to lead into his partner asking more infuriatingly personal questions. "You didn't seem to care when our dickhead boss brought up you having something to say...If I were in your shoes, I would have decked him for insulting me..."

RK900 looked over at the detective as he spoke & gently shook his head to help prove his point that it genuinely did not affect the android. What feelings did it have for it to in the first place?

[I have no reason for it to affect me, Detective. Seeing as you're asking so many personal questions, could I ask one of my own?]

When Gavin nodded in response to reading the message on his phone, it buzzed again with the question that the android had to say.

[Why do you have such a short fuse with everybody, especially me? You seem to have a strange relationship with anger & danger. Are you trying to get yourself killed, Detective?]

Gavin scoffed as he read the question & flipped his phone around in his hands for a few moments as he thought about his answer before leading with a shrug & stating in a quiet tone "I'm not trying to get killed, Tin Can, I'm just trying to get my job done no matter it takes. If it takes my life then so be it, at least I died doing what I love. For the record, it ain't nothing personal towards you, I just don't like working with others."

The android stayed quiet for a few moments, his LED spinning & glowing yellow as his partner spoke, it takes a few moments of silence before Gavin looked down at his phone as it vibrated to indicate that his partner had figured out what to say in response.

[I can tell that you don't play well with others...But, it'd be preferable if you did not die, Detective. I would not enjoy having to work in the precinct without your antics keeping each day interesting if not mildly annoying.]

Gavin seemed quite taken aback by his partner's kind words despite them being mildly insulting but Gavin would take an insultive compliment over a genuinely nice one any day of the week.

"I'm taking that as a compliment, Toaster. Speaking of toasters: You avoided our conversation about your name, I may have been drunk but I remembered that part. I don't see why everybody in the precinct can just call you RK900 when they wouldn't dare call Connor RK800. If anything, I think I'm being a little nicer by giving you creative nicknames...I'm thinking of a new one, how abo-" The detective never got to finish whatever it was he was going to say, being cut off by the sudden red hue lighting up the car, RK900's LED pulsing a deep crimson; his eyes fixated on the old warehouse. Gavin's eyes followed the androids so he was looking toward the warehouse too with a puzzled look that was quickly wiped off of his face as he saw a dark figure slip through the fences of the warehouse & inside. He immediately checked the clip of his gun, about to step out of the car as his phone buzzed, checking it in a haphazard, clearly rushed manner.

[We need to call for backup.]

"Fuck that, this is our chance to catch the bastard right now, we don't have time to wait for backup!"

That was all Reed said before quickly reaching into the glovebox to grab a spare pistol, shoving it into his partner's hands. "If you're gonna be my backup, I need you to be able to watch my ass properly." RK900 stared down at the gun before looking up at Gavin, his LED still a bright red, Gavin's phone buzzing with a brief explanation from the android that it is against protocol & is illegal for him to be carrying a firearm.

"I don't have time to argue & I don't fuckin' care! I need to know you'll be able to protect me & yourself." With that, he shoved the gun into the androids belt; hopping out of the car, own gun in hand. RK900 let out an artificial sigh, which he found to be doing much more often since being partnered with Gavin. He stepped out of the car too, patting the gun that was in his belt to be sure it was secure before following Gavin into the warehouse, both of the men treading along the uneven flooring as silently as they could.

Both of them worked in unison to check each of the room's of the warehouse, each one turning up empty besides the odd rat running along the floorboards. The creaks & murmurs of the warehouse keeping Gavin on his toes. They mutually decided to split apart with the use of body language & head nods to communicate. RK900 made his way slowly up the stairs, checking each of the rooms, being sure to not miss a single detail all the while being as quick & silent as possible.

As he got to the second to last room, he slowly pushed the door open to glance around the room, scanning the area to secure it, his retinal display suddenly being disrupted into unreadable lines of code as a harsh hit to the back of his head sent him to the floor, catching the android completely off guard. He quickly stood, regaining his footing as he touched a hand to the back of his head, it coming back to him covered in thirium. He turned around to chase the perpetrator, shoving the figure up against the nearest wall only to have the figure fight back with a strength that RK900 did not expect it to have.

The man shoved RK900, attempting to throw punches at the android which he quickly blocked despite his UI still flashing with error messages about his head injury. The two of them continued to tumble around the room, shoving & hitting one another as RK900 tried to gain an advantage so he was able to handcuff the suspect, instead, the suspect being able to fight off which strength no human could possess. He attempted to send a message to Gavin's phone to warn him of the danger but before he could finish trying to explain that it could be the perpetrator, the hands of the suspect finding their way to RK900's coat, his own hands instinctively coming up to grab at the wrists of the perp but before he could react, the attacker shoved the android full force against the window that he didn't even realise he was leaning against, causing both himself & the possible killer to fall straight through the window falling two stories & landing straight on his back on all of the shattered glass, the android's body breaking the fall of his attacker.

Gavin had checked his phone as it buzzed, assuming his partner was likely telling him that he had the all-clear from upstairs. 

[D̸͚͂ę̴͑t̵̂ͅẹ̷̌c̴̜̍t̵͖̃ḯ̷͙v̸̘̅ḙ̵̉,̶͈̍ ̸̦̔h̶̜͊è̴̙'̴̘́s̵̙͠ ̴̨̅ḧ̴̫́e̵̡̛r̶̮͒ë̵̩,̸͍̚ ̸̯̃I̷̖͠ ̵͙́ņ̶̃e̶̦e̶̼͝d̶̯͒ ̸͎͆b̵̻̿a̴̹̋c̵̟̉k̴͙͐ù̵͓p̵̞͂-̵̢͝ ]

Gavin stared at his phone in shock for a moment at how nonsensical the words were, frowning as he read them before the message clicked, shoving his phone into his pocket & holding his gun out in front of him as he made his way to the stairs, the smashing of glass & shouting from an unknown voice coming from outside startling him into turning around & darting out of the warehouse doors where he was met with the sight of his partner lying on his back with smashed glass all around him, blue blood painting the white fabric of his coat.

The attacker was straddling RK900's middle, one hand around the android's neck to pin him down, the other hand throwing multiple punches that RK900 was barely able to block. Horrified, adrenaline kicking in at full power, Gavin launched at the suspect, tackling him off of RK900 & throwing him to the floor, choosing not to shoot the suspect purely out of wanting answers & knowing in the back of his mind that his partner wasn't in mortal danger.

After what seemed like an eternity of struggling with the suspect, Reed managed to get the suspect pinned on their stomach on the glass riddled floor, holding him there as his partner regained composure. He glanced towards the android to make sure he was still stable & hadn't lost too much thirium, the next sequence of events flashing by much too quickly for anybody to compute. Reed let his guard down for barely a second but that being enough for the attacker to shove Reed off, tackling the detective to the ground, throwing a few punches as Gavin fought back, attempting to pin the attacker to the floor. The suspect scrabbled his hands along the floor, hand managing to grip one of the large shards of glass from the window despite it cutting into his hand & before Reed had a chance to react, all he could feel was a white-hot searing pain rip through his stomach, being followed by the weight of the attacker being lifted as he hurried to his feet, running clumsily down the alleyway.

RK900 pulled the gun from his belt, pointing it directly at the attacker before looking to his partner for his approval, only to see the detective lying on his back still, staring down at his stomach with a look of horror; his hands pressing against his stomach as blood pooled on the floor around his body.

"Go after him, fuck...I'll be fine, chase him! Go!" Reed spluttered out his words, looking up at the android who, if Gavin's eyesight wasn't deceiving him, was, shaking? 

RK900 flashed a concerned look to his partner, his LED spinning that deep crimson again as he tried to scan to see the detective's probability of survival but instead it only coming back with more error messages due to the wound on his head. He frowned but trusted his partner's instincts & began to chase the suspect down the alleyway despite the man already having a head start but suddenly coming to a halt, shoving the gun back into his belt as an indescribable feeling twisted in his stomach that lurched him back.

Gavin's words crossed his mind for a moment, clear as day, feeling almost like a breath of fresh air. _'You wouldn't know a gut feeling if it punched you in the face.'_

He twisted on his heels, running back to his partner as quickly as he could, dropping to his knees beside the smaller man, pulling his body close to his, trying repeatedly to scan for probability of survival at the same time as sending a text out to their captain to send out that emergency backup he knew for a fact they would end up needing. RK900 pressed one of his hands against Gavin's that were still firmly covering the wound on his stomach, hoping that the extra pressure would help slow the bleeding. The warmth of his partner's blood seeping through his fingertips only causing the android to grow progressively more anxious thinking about probabilities-

"Why..Why did you come back, I told you I was gonna be fine...I'm fine, it's just a scratch.."

Both of the men knew the detective was lying through his teeth & this was just a poor attempt at comforting either himself or the android too, he couldn't quite tell. When Gavin had said that he'd die for the job if it came to it, he wasn't quite expecting that to happen so quickly.

He stared up at his partner who was holding him in his vice tight grip, a hand still pressed to the wound that was still pouring with blood. He felt cold & hot at the same time. He wasn't afraid though, just disappointed that at the end of things, the one person he had treated the worst out of anybody was the one that had come back to him, completely turning his back on a possible murderer just to be with his partner. He supposes maybe in the grand scheme of things, RK900 probably did have an ounce of consideration for his well being. At least that made one person. He looked into the android's eyes which seemed like behind them; there was an internal battle going on. Somehow, he found himself trying to comfort the android despite himself being the one dying.

"You..You did g-good.." The detective weakly nodded as he tried to swallow the blood that was beginning to coat his throat. "We'll get out of this, d-don't you worry...We'll get out of this, N-Nines.."

He swallowed again, the faintest tug at the corners of his lips twisting his mouth into a slight smile as one shaky, blood covered hand reached up to tap the ‘RK900’ that’s printed perfectly along the android’s coat, before pressing his hand back over his stomach, his vision beginning to go fuzzy around the edges. Everything falling in & out of focus like a broken camera.  

RK900's LED pulsed red as he shook the detective slightly to try to keep him awake, red filling his vision. The android shook his head, trying to stay focused on keeping his partner alive but the red overtaking his vision was too much for him to handle, his eyes twitching as he looked around. He glanced down at his partner who's deep emerald eyes were still staring up at his face, trying to focus the best he could on staying awake.

RK900 felt a wave of what could only be described as the anger he had seen his partner project. Why did the detective have to intervene when he knew that he could handle himself? He cannot die! But Gavin could, Gavin could die & would die if emergency services don't show up soon... His partner was going to die-

It hit the android like a wave, that thought consuming his mind, engulfing his code in a fiery red. RK900 couldn't take it. It was too loud, too much. It was  _his_  fault. He punched a fist directly at the red wall that was flashing in front of his face, willing it to just go away so he could see Gavin again without it blocking his view. He needed the wall gone so he could see his partner's face. He needed to be sure Gavin would survive.

He gripped at the wall's fraying edges, ripping them apart frantically, yelling & shouting in his own mind as he beat his fists against the wall, shoving with all of his might, falling through the wall with a heavy gasp of air that he didn't realise he needed to take. His eyes darted around as the red, frizzy code dissipated from his view, leaving him to stare down at the detective in his arms, watching in horror as Gavin's eyes began to flutter shut.

RK900 shook the detective as he heard the ambulance & police car sirens get louder, he could hear the ambulance pulling up at the front of the warehouse, they weren't going to find them quick enough if they had to look inside first, not knowing that they were out back. RK900 shook Gavin's limp body again as he frustratedly looked around to see if there was something he could use to cause a loud enough sound only to come up with nothing. He looked down at Gavin, desperately trying to think of something before synthetically clearing his throat, a raspy, mechanical sound escaping his lips that barely resembled a "H-Help!" He desperately cleared his throat to try again, willing his body work in his favour as he tried again, this time the words falling out of his lips being slightly louder, still just as terrifyingly mechanical but they were there & they were heard.

"He's...He's dying!  _Help me!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudo's are my typing fuel, thank you!


	7. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having to face the reality of recent events, the android detective has to come to terms with his new found state of being. Sometimes it helps to have a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to have some Dad!Hank to lighten the mood a little, I can't help myself!
> 
> Chapter title: Hurt - Trophy Eyes  
> The first set of lyrics seemed rather fitting:  
> "I think I'm losing who I am, I want to show you where it hurts,  
> But you'll never understand. & it only makes you cry when i tell you what I'm thinking,  
> It's always on my mind, that empty feeling."

The android was still gripping his partner's unconscious body as the paramedics rushed to the scene, practically having to pry the detective out of his grip. They didn't have too much trouble though seeing as he knew that they were there to save his partners life. His vision as still mildly riddled with code & error messages from his wounds but he kept pushing them aside & instead choosing to stare down at his empty hands that were once holding Gavin's body; still on his knees on the floor that was a mosaic of blood & glass. The sight shocked the android, the thirium residue from where he had checked the wound on his head earlier on had began to mix with the red of Gavin's blood, creating a sickening purple staining his palms. In the moment, he was convinced that if it were possible, he would have thrown up.

In the background, he could hear shouting & speaking as his partner was rushed off to the hospital in the back of one of the ambulances, a few officers surveying the scene in an attempt to track down the attacker. Time passed him by as he stayed sitting on his knees, unsure of how much time had actually passed. It couldn't have been long though because the officers were still wandering around, completely ignoring him until a firm, warm hand found itself on his shoulder which resulted in him flinching at the unexpected touch, dragging his eyes away from his palms to look up at whoever it was who was standing over him. Lieutenant Anderson. With Connor at his side. Of course they were called to the scene, why wouldn't they have been? They are Fowler's favourite detectives after all.

"Come on, Kid, let's get you cleaned & patched up, yeah? Maybe changed into some clothes that aren't stained in blood while we're at it.." The lieutenants voice was soft & calm, almost safe. In that moment, he could understand why Connor enjoyed the man's company so much, the security of his tone made things seem less tragic than they really were.

The android stared up at his superior for a moment before slowly standing up on shaky legs. He could tell that the two men watching him were concerned, it was practically written all over their faces. He knew they had never expected to see him in such a vulnerable state but he chose to ignore their worried eyes & slowly followed as Anderson led him to the back of another ambulance that was at the scene, carefully pressing that warm hand to the android's shoulder again, gesturing to him to sit down to which he complied without a single stir.

Since the android revolution, some ambulances were equipped with the technology & means needed to fix up androids who were injured. He supposes this was one of those as a female android in an EMT uniform swiftly came to his aid, inspecting the wound on the back of his head that he could feel was still very slightly leaking thirium along his neck, causing the fabric of his turtleneck to stick to his skin. He couldn't run a self diagnostic to know how much thirium he had lost but if he had to guess by the way his limbs felt weighted, he assumed he was sitting at about 70%. At least he hadn't lost anymore than 30% or else he knew he wouldn't have been able to apply as much pressure as he did to Gavin's wound. He didn't even flinch as the nurse began to clean away the thirium to better inspect the wound to see the damage & then applied some form of sealant to stop the bleeding. Despite androids not being able to feel pain, he was positive that there was a burning sensation. 

"Detective Reed is going to be okay, RK900, they just made it to the hospital, he's going into surgery as we speak." Connor's deep, puppy like eyes were staring down at his brother, eyes scanning his face for any form of response. Just like what Gavin would do when he said something he was sure would bribe a reaction out of the android. Instead, his face continued to stay stoic despite his eyes showing a much deeper pool of worry that has never shown though his iconic cold gaze before.

He bowed his head to look down at his coat as Connor called him RK900, the blood smear across the bold 9 still visible from where his partner had tapped it just earlier. He carefully raised a hand to trace along the blood stained number. Something snapped inside the android, hitting him like a straight punch to the face. He wasn't entirely sure what it was, why it happened or how but it was like somebody had broken down the dam that was stationed behind his eyes & they began to leak a clear fluid which he quickly wiped away with his sleeve before anybody could see; an almost silent, mechanical sound escaping his throat in the form of a choked sob. That though; he couldn't hide from the detectives standing in front of him. The sound lingered heavy in the air between them despite the seconds passing since it left his lips.

Hank & Connor both stared at each other for a second, their faces plastered with fear at the sound that escaped his lips but Connor chose to react first, slowly kneeling down in front of his brother so he could look up into the android's greyish-blue eyes just like how he himself had done when he was trying to comfort Gavin at his kitchen table. This only caused him to turn his head to look away from his brother's warm brown eyes that were trained on his face.

"RK- Brother.." Connor paused for a moment as his LED spun yellow, clearly weighing his odds in what to say before continuing but this time, his voice was much lower, barely audible as to be sure nobody outside of the trio could hear. "Seeing your partner in such a dire situation must have sent an emotional shock to your systems, RK, what happened back there? Are you okay?" He knew his brother was only trying to help but he was getting sick of him constantly bringing up emotions at every given chance. Connor gently placed a hand on his shoulder just like Anderson had done earlier but the android shook it off almost immediately, as he snapped his head up to throw that familiar cold glare right at his predecessor.

Something about being called RK900 made his synthetic skin crawl, not helping the situation. He knew, yet again, exactly what Connor was insinuating. Each time he brought it up though, he was always wrong. Until now. But the android, almost as stubborn as his partner; wasn't about to admit that fact to his sibling. He especially wasn't going to admit to it when others could possibly hear the reaction that Connor would likely have. He wasn't a deviant. He couldn't be! That red code he fought his way through was just too much stress to his systems from seeing his partner so injured. He just needed to go into stasis for a while to recover from his wounds. That's all.

He stood up, waving the EMT away as she tried to insist the android needed to stay to get his thirium levels in order & pushed past Connor - with yet another glare thrown in his direction - so he could make his way to his partners car which was still parked just a few feet away down the street. He got himself situated in the drivers seat, folding his arms over the steering wheel & rested his head on them, closing his eyes for a while. Not quite stasis but it was enough quiet to have his body begin on the minor repairs such as the grazes the glass had caused to his chassis around his knees & back.

That was until he was interrupted by the sound of the passenger side door being pulled open. His eyes snapped open, forgetting for a brief moment that it wasn't going to be his partner stepping into the car. LED flaring up into a deep ruby tone, his hand dropping to grip the handle of the firearm that was tucked into his belt as his eyes stared directly to the passenger side door, watching as his lieutenant sat himself in the car, his weight causing the vehicle to shake slightly as he got himself comfortable.

Hank shut the door as he sat himself down in the detective's car, his eyes looking over the android that was sitting opposite, icy blue eyes piercing a hole straight through him. Ignoring them, he let his gaze drop to the android's hand that was gripping the handle of the pistol rather tightly, that was still half tucked into his belt.

"Hand the gun over, Kid, c'mon, I'm gonna go ahead & assume that Reed decided you had to carry it & wouldn't take no for an answer, huh? Don't worry about it, I've seen Connor use a gun enough times to know you can be trusted with them despite what the law states. But I don't want you getting into trouble so hand it over, yeah?" The lieutenant's eyes were staring right at the androids as he held out a hand for him to place the firearm into. It took a few moments of silence before the android very slowly pulled the gun from his belt, hesitating for barely a second before placing it firmly in Anderson's hand, the lieutenants phone buzzing that the same time. He nodded as a thank you, tucking the gun under his jacket at the back, pulling his phone from his pocket to check what the notification was.

[I told him that it was against protocol for me to carry a firearm but he insisted. He's rather stubborn.]

Another message popped up immediately after his eyes had barely finished reading the first.

[I failed, Lieutenant. My mission was to keep Detective Reed safe & I failed.]

Hank sighed as he read through the message before looking up at the android who was clearly tearing himself apart on the inside over the events that had occurred just a few hours prior. "We all make mistakes, it's what makes us human, Kid. That's just how life works." Anderson cleared his throat before continuing, "in this line of work, all of us are going to get hurt at one point or another, there's no denying that but we just have to patch ourselves up & keep going. We get hurt so innocent civilians don't. Gavin is more willing to protect others than himself more than anybody else I know." 

There was a hesitant pause in the lieutenant's sentences, as if mulling over the next words he wanted to say before actually getting them out of his mouth in that safe tone. "I, uh, I saw your face drop when Connor called you RK900, care to enlighten me? You had the same look that Connor had when somebody referred to him as 'just a machine' after he deviated..." Lieutenant Anderson's eyes were soft & caring despite his rough exterior & the smell of alcohol that lingered around the words he spoke. He had a way with words & an aura of trust & the android knew it was due to the man once having a son. He watched as his superior spoke, the man was very observant, he supposes he didn't get to be a lieutenant for no reason. The android looked down at his blood stained coat again, tapping his finger over the perfectly printed 9, just like Gavin had.

[He called me Nines...Right before he fell unconscious in my arms. Not Toaster, Tin Can, Robot, Roomba, Killer or any of his usual names while addressing me. He called me Nines. My name is Nines.]

As Hank read the message on his phone, he could see the android in his peripheral vision drop his head indignantly. His lips tugged into a lazy half smile at the message before turning his full attention back to the sulking android.

"Nines, huh? It's got a nice ring to it. It suits you, Kid. Now would you stop the sulking, that definitely does  _not_ suit ya'!" He chuckled softly, clearly trying to lighten the mood, erasing the metaphorical rain clouds that were suffocating the air around the two of them. "How about we switch seats & you let me drive you to the hospital so you can see your partner, eh?"

Nines' eyes lit up at the comment, his head snapping up to stare at Hank, nodding quickly & without even a moment to spare, he hopped out of the car so he could head around to the passenger side. The lieutenant chuckled again at the sudden enthusiasm as he stepped out of the vehicle too, mentioning that he'd be right back before striding back over to the ambulance where Connor was still situated, making conversation with the EMT. Hank briefly explained the situation to Connor & how he was going to drive Nines to the hospital but choosing to call him RK900 instead, knowing it wasn't right to tell anybody about Nines' deviancy; even Connor. That was up to the android himself. The lieutenant knew what boundaries were & wasn't about to break them simply because it was android in question rather than a human. Androids still had the right to have personal space & privacy.

He took a bottle of thirium from the EMT before heading back to Gavin's car, sitting himself in the drivers side & throwing the bottle at the android who was sitting patiently waiting in the passenger side. He caught the bottle with feline-like reflexes, nodding to his superior as a thank you. At least now his thirium levels would be replenished so after his mind is put to ease by seeing his partner in a stable state, he'll be able to go into stasis & let his self repair kick into action.


	8. Kiss With A Fist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nines has been in & out the hospital at every given opportunity; just waiting for the detective to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the last chapter was pretty short, I'm sorry! I just always find it tough to write those in between moments, y'know? I hope this makes up for it though!
> 
> Chapter title: Kiss With A Fist - Florence + The Machine (Very fitting for the last half of this chapter hahah!)

A lot can happen in two days, Nines thought to himself as he stood, leaning forward in the hospital cafeteria, hands clasped behind his back as he inspected the small aquarium, his eyes following the small Crowntail Betta fish as it tailed it's tank mate; a silvery-blue Gourami fish in an attempt to take it's food. The Betta fish had shiny red scales that merged into soft blue hues as they reached it's fins, sort of resembling the colours the androids LED would spin.

Nines thought about his mind & how the inside of his head was merely a fish bowl, the occupants swimming around behind his eyes as they dragged his sorry ass around each passing hour, willing his legs to take him to work & to continue following leads without his partner, all the while being repeatedly berated by his Captain over his lack of responsibility. He was screaming, yelling & throwing a fit in his mind in response but nobody else could see or hear. Trapped.

He understood that Fowler was angry & he knew for a fact that the man needed somewhere to let out his anger but it wasn't exactly like he could march himself into the hospital to shout at Gavin's unresponsive body so instead, Nines had been the metaphorical punching bag but he accepted it without letting his frustration show on his features. Accepting the cruel words as he continued to quietly work. It wasn't just Fowler who threw acid laced words in his direction though. Half of the officers in the precinct had a whole lot to say to the android when his partner wasn't there to throw a punch at anybody who even looked in their direction.

They believed that it should have been him rather than Gavin who had ended up almost dead to which he did agree with, he wished that Gavin hadn't tried to play hero but it wasn't exactly like he had the power to turn back time. The officers were not aware of Nines' _...new found emotions... S_ o they didn't think their words would affect him. The only person who knew was the Lieutenant, although he was sure Connor was beginning to get suspicious with how much Nines yearned to be at Reed's side. Hank & Connor both had his back over the course of the days though, continuing to shush any cruel words that they heard & kept the android company as he focused on the fleeting leads their case had. Each afternoon at precisely 5:00 P.M, Anderson would drive Nines to the hospital so he could check on his partner.

Two long, cold days of nothing but vicious remarks thrown his way passed him by agonizingly slowly. He was told that his partner would be out for a while due to the extensive surgery they had to perform on his stomach cavity to stop all of the internal bleeding which was apparently quite the difficult task considering the jagged edges of his glass shard causing multiple tears around the soft tissue. Not to mention trying to find B-Negative blood for a transfusion.

Nines had cracked a joke to himself about how ironic it was that his partner's blood type was B-Negative, as if the man needed an excuse to well, be negative... He supposes it was just in Gavin's blood to be so hot headed after all.

A sound behind him jolted the android back to the present & he made his way from the fish to a small stand in the cafeteria that sold thirium based drinks, he synthetically sighed to himself as he brought one of said drinks despite not really needing it, the thought passing through his mind about how humans really did capitalize on anything that they could profit off. That is why he existed in the first place after all. Pushing those measly thought aside, the android walked swiftly to the room that his partner's bed was situated in, to-go cup in hand, ready to sit in the chair that had been pulled beside Gavin's bed to keep an eye on his partner for the evening.

Much to his surprise though as he stepped through the threshold into his partner's room; there Gavin was, propped awkwardly against a few pillows with a blanket covering from his waist down, no shirt on of course, but his torso tightly wrapped in bandages, multiple tubes running from his partner's body to various IV's & breathing aids but most poignantly there was a wide, smug, shit-eating grin plastered across the detectives face. Nines' eyes lit up at the sight & he couldn't help himself as the muscles in his face forced the corners of his lips to turn up into a sincere smile as he made his way over to his partners bedside seat.

"What did I tell ya, huh? Just a scratch-" Were the first words that left the detective's lips in a raspy, quiet tone. He very gently cleared his throat to will his voice to come out less croaky as he piped up again before Nines had a chance to even register. "Is that coffee?!"

Reed raised the hand that the IV was sitting in so he could point to the to-go cup that the android was holding. Nines continued to stare at his partner for a few moments, just so grateful to see the man alive & still with his usual 'lack of care' demeanor despite being bed ridden. He then looked down at the to-go cup he was holding, a huge, mischievous grin spreading across his lips just like how it had when he chose to lick the thirium to make his partner uncomfortable at their first crime scene together - that felt like an eternity ago at this point.

This time though, Gavin caught the grin & raised an eyebrow but Nines simply nodded & handed the thirium filled cup to his partner, silently appreciative that the cups lid was there to hide the colour of the contents within it. He let the grin fade slightly as he watched his partner bring the cup to his lips, closing his eyes as he always did while taking his first sip of coffee & gulped down the biggest mouthful before practically choking; spluttering the contents all over his bandages & the blanket that was covering his legs; shooting the angriest glare he could possibly muster at Nines as thirium seeped from the corners of his lips.

" _What the **FUCK** , Nines?!_" His glare did not let up & the grin returned to the android's lips, although he wasn't sure if the grin was from his partner's thirium covered face or the fact that he remembered the name he had given him. The android quickly picked up the whiteboard & pen that Hank had left on the bedside table for him a few days ago so they could communicate easier & he jotted down quickly but with his usual perfect handwriting. 

[That's what you get for almost dying in my arms, Detective! You gave me quite the scare.]

"Yeah? Well that doesn't mean you get to poison me 5 minutes into me waking up, you bastard! _Seriously?!"_   With that, he threw the to-go cup that was still practically full at his grinning partner who in turn, decided to let it hit against his shoulder despite probably being able to catch it but choosing to let Gavin have this one considering the man did just swallow a mouth full of chemicals.

Thirium covered the left side of the android's white coat that he had only just got back from being extensively cleaned. He shrugged his shoulders, picking the cup up from the floor where it fell & placed it in the trash bin, slipping his coat off & placing it gently beside Gavin on the bed. Writing down an [I'm sorry, Detective, I figured it would be amusing. I was correct], showing it to the man glowering at him before reaching a hand forward & using his index finger; Nines gently swiped it across Reed's lower lip to collect up the excess thirium then bringing said finger to his own lips, licking up the blue blood deliberately as slowly as he could, eyes watching his partners, a smirk toying the corners of his mouth as Gavin rolled his eyes. With that, Nines sat back into his chair, whiteboard in hand as he began to write in a smaller font so he could fit (almost) everything he wanted to say on it.

[So, Detective, I'm assuming you haven't bothered to speak to a nurse since waking up yet but it's been two days since we were at the warehouse. They told me that due to your extensive surgery, it would be a while before you woke up but I did not think they meant two days, I was thinking more like two hours. Nevertheless, I came here as often as I could in between working in the hopes I could be here when you woke up. I suppose I got lucky... Sorry about lying to you about the coffee, Detective.]  The android held up the whiteboard for his partner to see & Gavin seemed unphased by the amount of time that had passed without him. He seemed more annoyed about not actually getting that cup of coffee he clearly wanted which made Nines smile ever so slightly. Priorities. 

 

Each day that passed, Gavin seemed to be gaining more & more of his mobility back, by the fifth day; he was able to sit himself up, wander around the hospital & lay on his side without wincing. Every morning, Nines would visit his partner with an actual coffee in hand, guilt clearly lingering from when he had fooled Gavin into drinking thirium. He gave the detective his coffee, they would briefly speak about his recovery & how bored he was growing with being forced to stay in bed before Nines headed into work. Then each night at 7:30 P.M, he would leave the precinct & head straight to the hospital sometimes with Lieutenant Anderson, sometimes without, so pair could work on their case which seemed to be going dry since the moment they were attacked at the warehouse.

No murder had happened since that night which lead the pair to believe that the attacker was indeed their prime suspect but they had spooked him so he's laying low for the meantime which brought out a frustration in Gavin that radiated from him, being absorbed by Nines' new found state of being, causing himself to be just as short tempered as his human counterpart.

Sometimes, the pair would take a break from reading over their case files to just sit & talk for a while. Well, Gavin would speak & Nines would respond using his whiteboard. They mostly spoke about how the detective's mobility was going, how with each passing day he was able to eat more but he still felt frustratingly weak. A few times, Gavin would push himself too far though out of sheer boredom & ended up tearing his stitches multiple times but never seemed to learn from his mistakes. Nines had mentioned how the man clearly had masochistic tendencies but his partner had never denied it.

Somehow, the conversation had flipped though & it suddenly became all about Nines & how he was dealing with the precinct without Gavin's antics there. Which made a strange, cold feeling twist through his wiring, his thirium pump beating slightly faster in his sternum. It had been 7 days since 'the accident' if you include the two days that Gavin was out for & the android had managed to keep his... ~~deviancy~~ to himself, except for the Lieutenant of course, but that man had a way of knowing everything about everybody. Connor probably knew too because he was the second smartest prototype to exist but he also knew that Nines was much stronger than him & if he brought it up anymore, he'd end up with a fist to the face.

Nines' passive aggressive behaviour that mirrored his partners didn't exactly help in him hiding his ~~deviancy~~ from Connor but at least it kept his brother's prying questions at bay. But, Gavin was different. He was the king of passive aggressive behaviour; he could look over everybody's anger, angst & annoyance & always come out on top with the answers he wanted. He was stubborn in that regard.

Nines hadn't told his partner about the fiery red that engulfed his code that night. Although he wanted to from time to time, something in him kept his hands from ever writing those words down for the world to read. Each time the word found its way into Nines' mind, it had a bold line through it as he tried desperately to just push it away. He knew he was in denial but just didn't want to deal with the brewing storm he could feel building in his chest as he thought about what those closest to him would think.

He snapped out of his own mind as Gavin stood, Nines instinctively standing too with arms at the ready incase his partner stumbled but he didn't. Reed stood sturdy on his own two feet wearing his grey sweatpants & a loose white t shirt, his torso still bandaged up beneath it. The detective lead Nines to the middle of the room by his wrist, the android thoroughly aware of what was about to go on, choosing to remove his coat & roll up his sleeves to his elbows. They had done this a few times over the past few days as Gavin's mobility progressed.

The man had voiced his complaints repeatedly over feeling weak from his injuries & not being able to hit the gym for a week despite usually going at least 4 times a week before work; before 'the accident' happened. So, much to Nines' disapproval, he & his partner would have a few short lived sparring sessions to keep Gavin's need to build up a sweat at bay. The android was sure to always be gentle though as to not hurt his partner, at least until he was fully recovered. Sometimes, Gavin would intentionally antagonize the android, knowing full & well how Nines feels about his personal space being violated but the android resisted the urge to pin his partner to the ground just like he had done when they had first met. Just until Gavin was recovered... 

"C'mon, Tin Can, you're pulling your punches!" Gavin spat as he threw a closed fist towards Nines' face to which he ducked, avoiding the punch with ease, shaking his head in response to Gavin's words & glared at the petty names that he thought Gavin would have stopped using by now; throwing a few punches back in quick succession that Gavin managed to block with his forearms. His reflexes were still as fast as a humans could be, that was a good sign at least.

They continued to block & dodge one another's punches for a few minutes, only clipping each other once or twice but it not being enough to draw blood from either of the well built men. It was going relatively well Nines thought to himself, his partner was beginning to sweat but still had stamina left in him unlike with the previous times they'd done this, the man was almost completely worn out before they had even started.

Nines had thought too soon though & Gavin piped up again, a slight venom lacing his words, choosing to do what Gavin does best. Push his luck...  _Again_.

"What's wrong, huh? You scared you gonna hurt me, Toaster? Where'd those killer instincts go?" Reed smirked, knowing his words caught the android off guard, using this to his advantage & quickly swiped one of his legs across Nines' to make the android buckle at the knees so he was at the perfect height for Gavin to wrap an arm around the android's chest & in one swift movement managed to pull the android down so his back was on the floor, the detective straddling Nines' middle to pin him there; egotistic smirk lingering on his lips still.

"First thing they teach you in the academy? Don't let your emotions get the better of you. Thought you were a master at that, Nines..." Gavin's words trailed off when winked down at his partner as those cold & metallic eyes stared up at him, narrowed defensively as a worried, mechanical sound escaped his throat, causing the smirk on Reed's face to fall slightly.

"What? You got something to say to me, Nines? Fucking say it, Killer!" He spat viciously, a hand shoving at Nines' shoulder. As soon as the cruel words fell from Gavin's mouth, he knew he had fucked up. Knowing full & well that he just pushed it too far, instant regret began bubbling in the pit of his stomach. It was unfair to bring up Nines' voice, he knew that. He also knew how unfair it was to throw names like that at his partner. He wasn't a detective for no reason, even for an android, Nines was visibly uncomfortable when the subject of his original purpose was brought up. Like he was fighting to be better than what his code told him to be. To be more, _human_.

Not in the mood to have Gavin twist his way into the android's mind more than he already was, Nines bucked his hips to knock Gavin off, fluently rolling them over so it was Gavin who was pinned to the floor, Nines' hand gripping his partner's shoulder right over his collarbone hard enough to leave bruises, his grip firm to keep the man in place despite his visible wincing that he chose to ignore in his moment of frustration.

The sudden movement must have pulled at his stitches though because Gavin could feel a familiar damp warmth creep its way along his bandages. The android opened his mouth very slightly as if he were to speak, his brows furrowing with vexation & Gavin could see the trouble his partner seemed to be having & he almost felt an ounce of guilt but that was washed away rather quickly as Nines' leaned closer so his lips were right against Gavin's ear, his warm breath sending an involuntary shiver down Gavin's spine. There was an eerie silence for a second before a crackled, mechanical whisper that barely resembled a human voice & was barely audible escaped Nines' lips.

"N-Not....Not a killer..." He whispered, his words stuttery & despite the spine chilling mechanical tone, there was a hint of fear intertwined in each syllable.

With that, the android stood from where he was straddling the detective & swiftly yet silently left the room without so much as a second glance, not only leaving his coat behind but also leaving Gavin lying on the ground on his back, wounds beginning to bleed through his bandages & shirt but too stunned at what had just happened to move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somebody thought 'shit eating grin' mean't something other than smug so here's a lil amusing description: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shit%20eating%20grin
> 
> Thank you for the kudo's & comments. They mean a lot to me so keep them coming. Mwah! I’d love to hear your opinions on The Coffee Scene™️ So lemmeh know!


	9. War Of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With time to himself, Gavin has a moment to think about his past & his present before reality hits him like a high speed truck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a lil reminder that there's some expletive language! Not much but it's there nonetheless! 
> 
> Chapter title: War Of Hearts - Ruelle  
> "I can't help but love you, even though I try not to,  
> I can't help but want you, I know that I'd die without you"

There were many moments in Gavin Reed's life where he realised he had fucked up. There were the times before he became a DPD officer & he found himself on the wrong side of the law on more than one occasion. He was young & stupid & anybody else would have just thrown him behind bars until he either cleaned up his act or got himself killed but sometimes it just takes one person to change your ways. That person just so happened to be Lieutenant Anderson.

On a rather drizzly, dim night back when he was nearly out on his teenager years, Reed had found himself in the middle of a heavily heated argument between his parents. His dad had come back drunk on his own son's birthday & his mom had finally found the confidence that she was in search of for so many years. She chose to stand up to her angry, drunk husband to try & get across her disapproval of him coming back drunk when it was supposed to be Gavin's special day. They had argued for what seemed like an eternity before things escalated far too quickly when his mother threatened to call the police if his dad didn't leave which only caused the intoxicated bastard to get even more hot headed, grabbing a kitchen knife in his moment of pure rage & lunged towards the terrified woman in front of him to which Gavin's body reacted before his brain had even configured what was going on.

He launched himself in front of his mother; hands reaching out to scrabble for the bigger man's wrist to he could push the knife away. It was messy & scary & back then Gavin didn't have the intensive training that he has now. This resulted in the knife swiping across his face, leaving the man with a deep scar that ran along the bridge of his nose, reminding him everyday that if it came to it, he'd do it all again if it meant keeping those he loved safe. He glanced down at the bandages around his stomach as he thought about that before his mind traveled back to the memory that was playing in his head.

The police had shown up only moments after due to having a call from a concerned neighbour who had heard the domestic dispute. Lieutenant Anderson had busted through the Reed's family home front door, gun in hand to find a young Gavin barely being able to hold his own weight on his shaking legs; blood smeared all along his face, terrified eyes staring down at his unconscious father lying on the ground with blood around his head. Smashed glass & wilted flowers littering the door. As Gavin shielded his mother, she had managed to grab a vase of flowers from the kitchen table & smash it over her husbands head in the heat of the moment; her mother bear instincts coming out to protect her son. 

Anderson had seen Gavin a few times before due to his past run-ins with the law that Hank had let slide on the account he turned his life around so it was quite a surprise when he had recognised the younger man in his kitchen, so much more vulnerable than he had ever seen him. The sight made his heart sink. The poor kid & his mother standing there traumatised with birthday banners hanging on the walls behind them. Hank had called for the paramedics, booked Reed's father for domestic assault & helped Gavin through the process of writing a statement after his face was stitched up. He knew a familiar face would be comforting through the stressful process.

The lieutenant wasn't at all surprised that this wasn't the first time Reed's father had lost his temper in that way as he read through Gavin's statement but it still came as a shock that somebody could treat their own flesh & blood so poorly, throwing away a relationship that could have been something truly special. It had made no sense especially considering his son had been ripped away from him by the cruel world in which they called home yet there were assholes out there who just stamped all over possible bonds with their kids. It brought out a rage in the Lieutenant who channeled that fury into something more constructive. That day was the day that everything changed for Reed. Anderson helped the young man find his way onto the right side of the law; going through the police academy & eventually becoming an officer for the DPD. Working his way up to where he sat now as a detective, hoping to maybe one day become a lieutenant himself. 

Gavin sighed to himself, he owed his life to Anderson, he really did yet here he was, avoiding the phone calls Hank was trying to make for two days straight. Really not in the mood for anybody's company since his fight with Nines. He even went as far as to tell the hospital staff not allow any visitors no matter the circumstances unless that visitor came in the form of a 6 foot 2 short tempered android.

Something felt wrong, every single morning & every single night since he had woken up, Nines had showed up at the hospital to bring him coffee, keep him company & make sure he was eating & moving around properly. Gavin had cracked a few jokes to his partner about how he would be a good house maid android to which he got some very sour glares in response that just cracked him up.

God, that android really did have a fuse as short as his own. He wonders if maybe Fowler knew that & that's why they ended up shackled together. But it had been two days since their fight & Nines hadn't showed up at all. Gavin had even asked the nurses if he'd swung by while he was resting - finally getting some good sleep thanks to the large quantities on painkillers he was on - but apparently he had not. It made Reed angry that Nines had just ran away like that, especially after dropping such a bombshell on the detective. There were a few things in this moment that Gavin was absolutely certain of:

One: He had to get out of this hospital tonight before he completely loses his sanity which had been slowly returning to him thanks to Nines' visits.

Two: Nines had to have deviated. By this point, Reed knew his partner well enough to be able to tell that those cold eyes now showed an ounce of emotion behind them. Nines had literally smiled at seeing Gavin okay which the fucker had never done before. He wasn't entirely sure when it happened but he was certain that it had. Nines had made that abundantly clear when he tried to use his broken voice which in turn, sort of broke Gavin's heart.

Three: He really needed a coffee-

Gavin was snapped out of his thoughts as a strange, prickling sensation ran its course along his spine. His eyes darted around the room with the feeling of unease settling in the pit of his stomach. He could almost hear his teenage self whispering in his ear for him to watch his own back as his fight or flight response kicked in full throttle. He swallowed as if that was going to help his mouth feel less dry. He couldn't describe the feeling to anybody who had never felt it before but it was the same as how a wolf knew it was being hunted. It was a _gut instinct_ that something wasn't right.

"Nines...? You there?" Gavin stood himself up from his bed, trying to ignore the quiver in his voice as he made his way slowly to the door that was cracked open slightly & peaked his head around the door frame to the hospital halls. Nothing. The detective shook his head to himself, clearly the copious amounts of painkillers he was currently on were playing with his mind.

He briskly made his way back into his room so he could collect the small amount of belongings he had with him, needing to get out of his place. Now. The detective glanced around the room again as he pulled Nines' coat on for himself seeing as he didn't have his own jacket. He may have been a masochist as his partner politely put it but he wasn't about to walk himself all the way home in the freezing Detroit temperatures in just sweatpants & a t shirt with wounds that still hadn't fully healed.

He stuffed the pockets with his painkillers, phone & wallet that were on his bedside table; brows pulling together to deepen the ever present furrow that sat between them as he looked around for his keys that he could have sworn were there just a few moments ago. The detective shook his head as that unease flipped in his stomach again, choosing to get down on his knees to look under the table for the missing object & lo & behold; there they were. He was just over worrying because of the meds, he thought to himself as he grabbed his keys, stuffing them into the pocket of Nines' coat before hastily pulling on the blue sneakers that Nines had generously gifted to him on his third visit after he complained about the idea of walking on the hospital's tiled floor. As he rushed out of the hospital, signing his own release forms & pulling Nines coat around himself a little tighter as he took long strides down the snow sprinkled street, Gavin got lost in his thoughts again. 

Gavin was made to work with multiple partners when he first became a detective but by the end of their first day, each one had put in for a partner transfer; unable to handle Gavin's short temper. He did it intentionally most of the time due to his preference for working alone & it seemed to work too. By Captain Fowler's fourth attempt at getting somebody to work with him, that only ending in the poor woman crying to Fowler over Reed almost punching a suspect in an interrogation to scare them into giving him answers, the Captain had finally given up & the detective got to work on his own from then on as long as he reported everything necessary to Lieutenant Anderson.

He became friends with the familiar void of nothingness & loneliness that stuck by his side through it all. The lack of companionship growing somewhat comforting & he basked in the knowledge that he didn't have to live for anybody but himself. From time to time, Reed felt like he was edging his way closer & closer to that void, ready to be engulfed by it's open & waiting arms. That was until the day the detective found his shadow. Better known as Nines. An (almost) silent enigma wrapped in layers of complexity that Gavin had only barely scratched the surface of before he royally fucked it up by spitting out his cruel words without regard for how they could affect Nines' fabricated emotions.

Nines was the first partner assigned to Gavin in years & the only one who actually stuck around. Reed smiled ever so slightly as he thought about the progression his & the androids relationship had been having. They actually had conversations about things other than work, they got to know each others habits better & Nines had even been to Gavin's home a few times which is strange for the detective considering he let nobody into his home. Then again, it wasn't exactly like he really let Nines in. The sneaky bastard just lets himself in with what Gavin likes to think as very questionable knowledge on lock picking. Hell, he'd even almost died for Nines. Willing to take the damage so Nines didn't have to. Whether he was going to be fine or not, Nines didn't deserve to be injured because of Reed pressuring him into doing something stupid. 

As thoughts of his partner swirled around his mind, Gavin pulled his keys from his pocket so he could get into his apartment, that strange shiver running through his spine again, he couldn't help but feel like he was being... Watched? The feeling sat deep in his stomach & heavy on his chest; making his stress levels spike slightly as he stepped into his apartment, quickly locking the door behind him as he sucked in a long, slow breath so he could will his body to cooperate with his mind & just relax. 

 

Gavin stirred awake with a quiet whimper escaping his throat at the discomfort in his abdomen. He used his hands to rub at his eyes, still wearing Nines' coat & was even still in his own sneakers. Face screwing up in pain as he sat himself up on his couch, the detective coming to the realisation that he must have fallen asleep after throwing himself onto the couch after returning home last night. Clearly having forgotten to take his painkillers, that being apparent by the burning pain gnawing at his stomach.

With as much strength as he could muster, Gavin pulled himself up from the couch, taking off his sneakers as he dragged his body to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee, that thought softening the furrow in his brows. While waiting for the smell of roasting coffee beans to fill his apartment, the detective pressed the playback button on his voicemail receiver assuming there would be one or two left from his week of being in the hospital & made his way to the bathroom all the while taking off Nines' coat & his t shirt so he could re-wrap his wounds in fresh bandages. He had got used to wrapping wounds for himself from a very young age so even in the hospital, he protested when the nurses tried to help him. Despite only doing their job, Gavin knew he was more than capable to do it himself. 

The detective was listening to the voicemails in an absent minded manner as he focused his attention on dressing his wounds, they were definitely beginning to heal but they did keep bleeding through his bandages because his stupid ass kept tearing the edges of the stitches by doing what he does best. Pushing his luck. Tempting fate. Whatever you'd like to call it. He got about half way through playing doctor with himself, only just finishing sanitizing the wounds & applying fresh gauze pads before his hands completely froze, the sound of Lieutenant Anderson's gruff voice filling his apartment from the receiver:  _"Detective Reed? I have been trying to reach you for days, answer your phone!"_

The next set of words fell from the receiver after it clicked to play the next message & hit the detective like whiplash: _"Detcti-Gavin, for fuck sake I know you're at home, the hospital told us you checked out. Has Nines been with you the past few days? He hasn't shown up for work nor has Connor seen him & we assumed he was probably with you but the hospital wouldn't allow me to come & ask you for myself. I swear to god, Gav, answer your fuckin' phone for once!"  _

Gavin gulped as the receiver clicked to show that the message had ended, not bothering to securely wrap the rest of his wounds, instead dropping the bandages as he sprinted to his room, changing out of his sweats into his jeans as promptly as he could all the while ignoring the pain that flared up with each movement. He bit back the yelp that scratched at his throat, begging for him to voice his pain as he pulled his blue sneakers back on. The detective pulled on a tight grey long sleeved shirt, his hands instinctively pulling on Nines' coat again rather than his own. He didn't have time to take all of his needed belongings out of the pockets to transfer them to his own jacket & besides, there was something about wearing his partner's coat that just felt comforting. 

Locking his apartment door behind him, the detective rushed to his car so he could drive to the precinct, ignoring the speed limit, knowing full & well that this was a moment that called for bending the rules ever so slightly. In the moment, he cursed his pride for not owning a police cruiser so he could switch on the lights, getting to the precinct faster. Once he arrived though, the detective practically threw himself through the glass doors, chest heaving as the pain flared up across the whole of his stomach from his rapid movements. Not to mention, he still hadn't taken his medication yet.

One arm wrapped around his stomach in the hopes it would ease the pain as its ugly hands tried to drag the detective into passing out right there on his first day back. He was still due to have another few days off but that was out the window now. Ignoring the eyes on him, the officers all concerned at his clearly pain riddled state but curious as the man was in his partner's coat after getting so defensive about it previously. There were a few 'welcome back's laced with slight worry thrown his way but Gavin ignored them as he stumbled over to his Lieutenant's & Connor's desks, practically tripping over his own feet only to catch himself by slamming his hands onto Connor's desk, both of the men jerking their heads up to stare at the detective who has now heaving for breath, hand still clutching at his half bandaged stomach. 

Connor began to speak first, "Detective Reed, you shouldn't be up but you're wearing my brother's coat so that means he's oka-" The android was cut off before he could finish by the very shaky voice that left Gavin's mouth. "He..He wasn't with me-" Gavin spluttered out between his gasps for air. He knew he looked pathetic. Pain creasing his features, hair messy with sweat & the scruff of his facial hair beginning to overtake his face. His deep emerald eyes flickered between Connor's & Hank's but they settled on Hank's as the older man gently placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

The detective's eyes were filled with fear, his face screwed up with pain that was likely more than just physical but for once he didn't care who saw it. This wasn't the time to care what other people thought. Gavin swallowed to wet his throat so he could get his next words out in a voice that was more confident this time around. "I thought I had pissed him off because we, uh, we argued, I guess. He stopped showing up to visit me three days ago so I checked myself out last night... I thought he was pissed or something. Where the fuck is _my_ partner?!" Gavin hadn't realised he'd raised his voice until he felt a few pairs of eyes besides the two men in front of him cast their gaze in his direction. He was defensive & sensitive, he knew that. It was all heightened with the pain that ripped its way mercilessly through his abdomen, causing his face to pale slightly. He gulped as a wave of light headedness hit him, swaying a little but managing to keep his feet planted firmly on the precinct floor. 

The detective waited for the dizzy feeling to pass before turning on his heels as the other detectives turned off their terminals so they could begin working on figuring out where Connor's sibling had wound up. He began to walk away, hand pressed against his stomach; the pressure helping to relieve some of the pain. He heard his Lieutenant call out "where do you think you're going?!" from behind him but the detective continued walking towards the glass doors, coming to a halt as he glanced back to answer his superior before hurrying out to his car after three simple words left his mouth:

"To find Nines."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Opinions are always welcome! I love hearing what you think...You think they still have answer machines in 2038? hahahahah.


	10. Hurts Like Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the weight of the world is just too heavy to be carried on one pair of shoulders alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE!! There is an attempted suicide scene at the end of this chapter once you get to the bit where Gavin makes his way home after his little fight in the precinct so please read with caution if that sort of thing is triggering for you. I love you all, please be safe. If you ever feel lonely & need a friend, you can message me at @DeviantAlicee on tumblr <3  
> (Painkillers, alcohol & gun use is mentioned for the scene)
> 
> Chapter Title: Hurts Like Hell - Fleurie

The determined detective had exhausted every possible lead that he could find in search of his partner. Pushing himself to his limits as he backtracked over locations, possibilities & anything at all that could give him some answers. Gavin didn't care if Nines was angry at him for being so cold. He'd take Nines being angry at him for the rest of his life but alive over the alternative. The detective had spent the whole night since he left the precinct driving around in the hopes of coming across something. He went back to the hospital to question everybody who had been working there on the days that Nines had visited. He searched around his old room desperately hoping a note had been left behind by the android. He went as far as scouring the floor outside for any traces of blue blood or footprints. Anything at all that would give him answers. But of course, if there would have been any traces of a struggle, that was long washed away by the flurries of snow that had blanketed Detroit for the past few days.

Gavin cursed himself for thinking Nines was just angry at him. The sun was rising to signal this would be day three without his partner. Anything at all could have happened to Nines in those days but Gavin had too much pride to reach out when Nines had walked away. Three days. As a detective, Gavin knew the odds. Hell, anybody did really. Missing persons' cases are tricky because in the first 24 hours; said person could have just wanted to be alone which means it isn't exactly top priority unless the victim was visibly seen being shoved into a car & taken. But as it hits the 48 hour mark; that's when you have to start looking at the worst case scenarios.

If somebody went missing for three days with absolutely no leads to work off of then the DPD would have to speak to the family of the missing person to tell them there is essentially nothing they can do but keep an eye out. It's so infuriating that sometimes, even the people who are supposed to bring you help & comfort are helpless themselves. Gavin shook his head as he pushed those thoughts aside though because the odds had to be different when there was an android involved. Especially one with such high tier survival skills like the ones that Nines possessed. The detective hadn't slept since yesterday, having been out all night in search of his partner but as the sun made her way higher in the sky, Gavin figured he should get back to the precinct to see if Lieutenant Anderson had anything for him.

Hank & Connor had also worked on backtracking from the point where Nines & Gavin had argued to see if they had missed anything but dealing with somebody as secretive as Nines was tough. He would spend each night in Connor's apartment so he had somewhere to go into stasis but the pair hardly spoke about things other than Connor's cases mostly due to Nines' lack of interest in speaking about anything to do with himself. It was apparent to everybody that the only person that Nines had opened up to with a hint of emotions was Gavin.

They had got progressively closer since their stakeout before Gavin was injured but that was largely thanks to the detective asking his partner so many personal questions, prying cryptic answers from the android. But, after he had woken up in the hospital; he & Nines had even more conversations while working on Gavin's mobility. It seemed like Nines had more interests & was less cryptic with Gavin since he had woken up. He was still short with the answers he wrote on his whiteboard but Gavin had learnt more about his partner. Such as: Nines liked cats because they reminded him of _"his rude partner who did as he pleased with no concern for others"_ if he recalled correctly. Nines had also shown interest in playing tricks on his partner which pissed Gavin off to no end yet he found himself wishing that this as all just a prank & Nines was actually okay & was just punishing Gavin for being so rude. But this was the tragedy known as Gavin's life & he knew this wasn't just a prank. No. This as real, this was terrifying & this was _his_ fault. 

As Gavin made his way through the precinct doors in the same outfit as yesterday, still in Nines' coat, nobody dared make a remark to the man; all knowing full & well that if they did, they'd likely end up with a broken nose & Reed wouldn't feel an ounce of guilt for throwing the punch. It was like things had reverted back to how they were before Nines' & Gavin's partnership. People were afraid of the detective again, knowing his temper was shorter than it had ever been, they diverted their eyes when Gavin threw around sour looks at anybody who looked up from their desk. One of the officers had tried to suggest that maybe a change of clothes would be suitable but that only ended with Anderson having to step between the two men before Gavin killed somebody. The concoction of lack of sleep & the pain clawing its way around his abdomen, Gavin was in an especially cantankerous mood & had made it clear by choosing to pick a fight with the first person he laid his eyes upon. Connor.

The android was making his way towards the evidence room to run an errand for Hank as it wasn't like crime simply stopped because they had bigger things to worry about. That's not how criminals work, apparently. Right as he placed his hand on the door, Connor practically tripped on his own feet as Gavin shoved him with as much strength as he could muster despite his wounds begging him to stop pushing himself too far. The android immediately balanced himself, turning quickly to look down at the glowering detective before him.

"This is _your_ fault! For one of the smartest prototypes out there, you sure are fucking thick, y'know that? You should have known something was wrong from the moment he didn't show up at your house for the night!" Gavin spat out his words, shoving two fingers against Connor's LED as he said the word 'thick' to really emphasise his point. Connor's brows furrowed slightly at the uncomfortable touch, his warm eyes never breaking their gaze that held strong on the detective, his voice coming out much more calm than Gavin's had. 

"Detective Reed. You have to understand that RK900 is more than capable of looking after himself. When he didn't return home from the hospital, we assumed he had stayed the night with you seeing as he had been spending so much time with you. When he did not show up for work, Lieutenant Anderson tried contacting you multiple times for two days. We were concerned but assumed he wanted to be alone with you. Not to mention that my brother hates it when people try to pry into his personal business."

Gavin's glower only intensified at Connor's words & his body reacted before his mind did, as always. His hands were gripping Connor's blazer, shoving the android against the wall as he spat out his words between grit teeth; his jaw clenched as the pain that radiated through his torso. "His name is _Nines_ , Dipshit! If you gave a fuck about your so called brother then you'd know that! For the record, I know a hell of a lot more about his 'personal business' than you do because I bothered to ask!" Gavin shoved at Connor's chest, trying to hide the pained hiss that involuntarily escaped his throat. Connor simply stood his ground, understanding the human's anger & need to release it somewhere but allowed his brows to furrow when Gavin corrected the name he had called his brother.

"I'm sorry, Detective. But your anger isn't going to help us get any closer to finding him. We _will_ find him." Connor's voice was calm & collected which Gavin didn't understand. How was the android so calm when Nines could be out there dead in a ditch?! The detective was beginning to believe he was the only person who cared for Nines' whereabouts. Android or not, Nines was, well, Nines was his partner & he couldn't lose him. Not now. Gavin couldn't believe how far they had come since their first day together.

He still found androids rather annoying due to their strange mannerisms & the way it felt like some tried too hard to be more human but Nines was different. Nines seemed proud of being an android. He never tried to hide his LED, he & Gavin had many physical altercations & they both knew the android enjoyed to flaunt the fact he was stronger thanks to his robo-body. Hell, the fucker even proudly wore his Cyberlife branded coat despite the bastards trying to make him a ruthless killer. It was like Nines wanted to rub it in their faces that he broke free from their stone cold code. Nines was, Gavin couldn't describe it, he was just something else entirely.

Thinking of Nines showing such fearless confidence definitely brought down the detective's stress levels & clearly Connor's scan of the man could tell that as he gently raised his hands to remove Gavin's hands that were still gripping the front of his blazer which in turn, let go with no trouble. "I know you're worried, Detective, but we will find him, I assure you." Connor smiled softly with that same confidence that his words were laced with before swiftly leaving Gavin standing in the hall so he could get back to whatever it was he needed to get done in the evidence room. With a new sense of calm, the detective made his way back to the bullpen so he could talk to Hank about possible leads.

 

That sense of calm didn't exactly last very long though, three more days passed the detective by, at his point; he had to literally drag himself out of his apartment so he could get to work or else he knew Fowler would either suspend him or fire him on the spot considering he'd been causing so much hassle since Nines' disappearance. But, Reed knew that if he had any chance at finding his partner, he needed his gun & badge. They could get a man a long way.

There was that feeling of unease lingering in his stomach, every corner he turned, it was like eyes were on him & he couldn't escape the feeling of like he was about to become someone's prey. The detective worked each day with an aura of anger that even the stupidest of people could sense & all chose the smart move & left Gavin alone. Each night after his shift was over, Gavin would drive around the city for a while in the hopes he could catch his shadow somewhere but he never did. As the birds began to sing, a reminder that the night was shifting into day; Reed would make his way back to his apartment where he would catch an hour of sleep before heading back to the precinct. He knew it was taking a toll on his body but he had to use every waking hour in search of Nines. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was something more. But one thing the detective was certain of was that without Nines as his partner, that familiar void of loneliness found its way back into Gavin's life, it's hands dragging Reed slowly into an empty abyss that was beginning to look very tempting.

"Y'know, there's always the possibility that the mute just flicked on that humanity switch that they all seem to be doing lately since Robot Jesus because he was sick of Gavin's shit & just left town..." One of the officers had muttered out a little too loudly to one of his coworkers from in the break room followed by a breathy chuckle. Gavin always cursed his desk for being situated in earshot of the break room because you'd be surprised with what people say when they think nobody else is listening yet Gavin heard it all. This being one of those times.

Upon hearing he remark, Gavin wasted no time in slamming his hands on his desk as he stood himself up, chair clattering to the ground behind him as he stormed into the break room, throwing a punch right at the officer's jaw before the man could even react then gripping the front of his uniform to shove the man up against the break room's counter; the other officer trying to pry Gavin off to no avail. Reed's grip was strong & vice tight on the man's uniform as he leaned in close to spit out his words in the officer's face.

"You got somethin' you wanna fuckin' say, huh?! If he were a human, I'm sure you'd show a hell of a lot more concern!" Gavin grit his teeth as he spoke, his eyes filling with an angry flame as he went to throw another punch only to have the other officer knee Gavin in the stomach knowing full & well the detective still had very sensitive wounds there, causing Gavin to let go of the officer as he doubled over in pain, a loud pain filled groan escaping his lips, hands coming up to instinctively press against his abdomen.

"You fucking got a deathwish, huh? I swear to God-" Reed spat with as much venom he could muster, trying to straighten himself up in the process, his refusal to back down from any fight kicking in so he could attempt to throw that second punch again. The altercation was cut off though as the Lieutenant made his way swiftly into the break room to see what all the commotion was about, quickly pulling Gavin back while the other officer was dragged out of the break room by his fellow coworkers. Gavin spun around to throw his infamous glare at his superior, hands still clutching at his stomach.

He swallowed before muttering quietly, "He said that Nines left town, Hank, he wouldn't just leave..." That flame dissipated from behind Gavin's eyes, leaving them looking lost & desperate. Those eyes dropped to his hands as he pulled them away from their clutch on his stomach, coming away stained in a deep red. The detective gulped again as he looked up at Hank, his hands beginning to shake slightly. Hank shook his head, briskly grabbing a clean wash towel from the break room cupboard, dampening it with warm water before wiping down Gavin's hands to clean the blood off before silently raising Gavin's shirt slightly so he was able to press the towel against the would that had torn open slightly... Again.

With Reed's refusal to stay in bed, take his medication or take it slow, despite it being almost two weeks, his wound was still extremely sensitive. One half had healed quite well but the other half had been re-stitched multiple times due to Gavin's inability to listen to advice. This wasn't the first time Hank had to clean up Gavin's blood. The man had a knack for getting himself injured & Hank always came to his aid. He guesses it was just the fatherly thing to do.

"Go home, Gavin. That's an order, you hear me? Go home, bandage yourself up & get some rest. You look like hell, I can tell you haven't been sleeping. I'll call you the moment we get an update. Me & Connor will come & check on you later. If you don't go home, I'll get Captain Fowler to suspend your ass." That was all his superior said before guiding Gavin's hand to hold the towel against his stomach for himself before the Lieutenant disappeared off into Fowler's fish bowl of an office.

 

A few hours had passed since Gavin had made it home. He hadn't bothered to lock the door behind him as he first made his way into the bathroom to apply clean bandages to his wounds. He grimaced at the sight slightly & stumbled his way into the kitchen, grateful that he didn't get any blood on Nines' coat, Gavin had decided in that moment that white was his least favourite colour for clothing. He slumped into one of the chairs at his kitchen table as he decided to nurse a bottle of Jack Daniels to help numb the pain in his abdomen & in his chest.

His chest ached so much lately. A feeling that the detective had never felt before. He couldn't explain it but it was like he was trying to keep his head above water all the while having hands wrapped around his ankles, dragging him down into the cold void & holy fuck did it _hurt_. It hurt so much. It was like everything he ever tried to bottle up emotionally was manifesting itself into this mixture of physical chest ache & this overwhelming sensation of being lost.

Gavin reached inside the pocket of Nines' coat to pull out his painkillers, shakily opening them as he poured out a few into his hand, washing them down with a gulp of his JD, hoping that somehow they'll help with the ache in his chest. He dropped the bottle of meds onto the table beside his gun & badge that he had put there earlier as he sipped on his bottle of whiskey. He let his mind wander to what would happen if got to see his partner again. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd do. Probably punch him. Or kiss him. Or both. There was no way that Nines had just left town because of Gavin's words. Yes, that android had one hell of a short temper but at the same time; his threshold for being able to deal with Gavin's bullshit was probably taller than the android himself. That thought made the detective chuckle slightly to himself. The breathy laugh echoing around his empty apartment before making its way back to him in the form of tears that began to fall from the detective's rough face. In the moment, he was grateful that nobody was there to see him looking so pathetic; crying over a fucking android with anger issues like his own.

Gulping down a few mouthfuls of his drink, Gavin used the sleeve of the white coat he was wearing to wipe at his face, sniffling slightly in the process. There were those hands again, clawing at his ankles, pulling at his shoulders as they tried to drag him into that void; their sweet siren-like voices calling his name. Gavin let out an audible groan as he placed a hand on his DPD issued pistol, muttering out a few 'shut up''s under his breath directed towards the voices that taunted the troubled detective from within his own mind. His breathing was heavy & with each breath, the weight on his chest only seemed to grow, the hands of the void growing stronger as the voices grew louder; reminding him that Nines was never coming back & it was his fault. Nines was gone. The first good thing in the Detective's tragic life had been ripped away from him all because he couldn't watch his own words.

Gavin was a natural disaster. A hurricane that tore through anything in his way, leaving pain & loss in his wake. Maybe that's why they gave natural disasters such human names. The detective pathetically laughed between the tears that fell down his cheeks at the thought as he raised his gun from the table, clicking off the safety & pressing the barrel to his temple. He glanced down at the 'RK900' that was printed along the chest of the coat he had now claimed as his own one last time before squeezing his eyes shut, his upper lip hitching slightly as his finger found it's way onto the trigger. 

 

The sudden sound of cheering jolted the detective out of the moment, convinced for a moment that the cheering was just congratulating him on finally allowing himself to be engulfed by the abyss until he realised that he had not yet pulled the trigger. Gavin gulped as he shakily lowered his gun, setting it back on the table, clicking the safety back on as that familiar shiver hit his spine like a jolt of electricity. The detective snapped out of his trance as he stood sheepishly on his wobbly legs, the alcohol causing his head to be cloudy as he slowly made his way towards the sound of the cheering. He allowed his feet to lead the way & before he knew it, the detective was standing in the middle of his bedroom, eyes glued to the television on his wall that was switched on, playing last nights hockey game. Gavin's eyes widened, his heart thudding in his chest, instinctively his hand coming up to tap where his gun holster would be; swallowing thickly, remembering he'd left it on the kitchen table. The detective blinked a few times, his voice barely above a raspy whisper; "Nines..?" 

Reed jumped as the sound of his front door slamming shut sent his panicked state into overdrive, as if being drunk & in pain wasn't enough already, there was somebody here & he had left his gun for their pickings in the middle of his kitchen. Slowly, as silently as he could muster, the detective placed one foot in front of another after switching off the TV, furtively making his way back out to the hall, glancing towards his front door before choosing to check the rest of the house first.

Sticking to the shadows of his living room, Gavin edged his way back through his apartment to the kitchen so he could grab his gun. Once under the kitchen light, the detective practically threw himself towards his gun which was thankfully still sitting exactly where he had placed it just a few moments prior but his actions being brought to a sudden halt as his eyes landed on the mess of his table. His gun was there beside his badge along with his bottle of whiskey & his painkillers that were littered across the table but in amongst his belongings sat a small black box with a red ribbon wrapped around it; tied with a bow that had little blue flecks along it, the mysterious package being barely the size of a ring box.

Reed drew up in deep breath in a poor attempt to calm himself as he picked up the box, slowly pulling the bow off & with shaking hands he opened the lid. An involuntary whimper wrapped in fright escaped the usually tough detective's throat as his emerald eyes stared down into the box. There was a small metal disc sitting in thirium stained tissue paper perfectly placed inside the package.

_Nines' LED._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would looove to hear your thoughts on this chapter because it look a long while to write as I wanted to do it justice. Thank you for taking the time to read my work !  
> Also, if you know where the reference 'humanity switch' is from: I owe you a cookie!


	11. Waiting For A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tormented by a sadistic man, Nines begins to understand just how scary it is to feel so human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A much needed chapter from Nines' POV to show what he's been going through in the six days since he stopped showing up to the hospital to see Gavin. PLEASE NOTE: I'm not too sure if you'd consider it torture but there is a lot of talk in this chapter about Nines' thirium pump being removed & his wires being messed with etc.  
> Also, this chapter is supposed to run alongside the previous chapter which you'll start to see as you get towards the end; Gavin's attempted suicide is mentioned at the end, just so you know incase that affects you!  
> Chapter Title: Waiting For A Friend - The Pretty Reckless

Nines' eyes fluttered open, his vision being filled with more bold error messages but by this point; he was used to it. There had only been one time in Nines' life where he had felt genuinely human & that was the moment his partner was dying in his arms but here he was, cold, alone, afraid & feeling so unbelievably human that it _hurt._ A few times over the past few days, he found himself cursing himself for allowing emotions in because now he was alone & being alone was not something he had ever prepared for.

He was lying across what he could only assume was a work bench but with being so tall, his legs awkwardly hung over the end, both of his hands handcuffed to two bars that ran along the side of the bench, the cuffs began to dig into his wrists, thirium staining them as they cut through the chassis beneath his synthetic skin. The nanites making up his usually perfect synthetic skin having long crawled into hiding.

Being unable to run a self diagnostic was rather infuriating, especially when there was a cold feeling dripping along the right side of his head over his temple. Likely from yet another head wound? It was difficult to tell when he couldn't run his programs sufficiently. He felt... Broken.

The android blinked a few times as he pushed as many of the error boxes as he could out of the way, choosing not to read them because by this point, they were beginning to get repetitive. He'd made the decision to stop reading them about five days ago, if he had to guess how long he had been lying here, purely through estimation - unable to know for sure when his internal body clock was just as broken as his processors that control his self diagnostics. He couldn't explain it - the feeling in the pit of his stomach or the weight that lingered in his bones. It was overwhelming & quite frankly, it was terrifying. Like spiders crawling beneath his skin. As if he were stuck on a sinking ship with no way to get the water out.

He swallowed loudly at the thought despite not really needing to, glancing around the empty warehouse room again between the error alerts that littered his UI before dropping his eyes to look down at his bare chest where his thirium pump regulator sat, his synthetic skin stained a deep blue from the times the biocomponent had been repeatedly ripped out by his attacker. 

There was a fear that settled in what would be the android's stomach each time it happened. It was heavy, reminding him that if he had the ability to throw up, he probably would have by now. Each time that bright red countdown flashed inside his brain, attacking his senses relentlessly, his mind, every time without fail, would trail back to his partner. Somehow, the disaster known as Gavin Reed was his comfort thought in death. 

The sadistic man would slowly take the biocomponent out with perfect precision as to not damage the piece considering Nines was a prototype android & there weren't many RK900 thirium pump regulators lying around as he was the only one of his kind that had not been destroyed before Cyberlife were raided. Somehow, the man knew that. The man would then go about his business, tapping away on his laptop with one hand, thirium pump in the other so nonchalantly that it could make anybody's skin crawl; refusing to put it back in place until Nines barely managed to rasp out a count down for how many seconds he had left until forced shutdown.

No matter what the man did, nothing could get the android to speak. He fiddled with the wires & metal bones inside Nines' throat beneath his chassis, he jabbed & prodded, pulled & pinched at his wiring, causing bursts of static to wrack through Nines' body, soft whimpers emitting from his throat at the sheer discomfort but not a word fell from those lips. 

That was until the man decided to take it one step further. He found that the only way in which he could get any words out of the android was by pulling his metal heart out. It appeared to be some form of twisted game. The man seemed rather amused to watch to watch the android with no voice choke on his own words as he was forced to count down the seconds to his death with that terrifying mechanical whisper that shook & wavered with terror. 

If Nines was honest with himself, he was glad that Reed wasn't there. Part of him hoped that the human would never have to hear his pathetic begs for his own life. He sounded like a broken computer that somebody had taken a baseball bat to.

He would suffer through begging, only to have the regulator pushed back in place at the last second; the man wiping his hands on a cloth before going back to typing on his laptop - which had a few wires connected to it that ran from the back of Nines' neck in a port that he didn't even know was there until the man had opened up the android's white framework to reveal the sensitive ports & wires that lay beneath the protective cover. 

The man had made it abundantly clear to Nines while he rambled away as he shoved his hands into Nines' wires in his chest; explaining that he just needed to find out how androids were turning deviant & why the hell they all seemed to end up in such close relationships with humans. The man seemed to talk a lot while his hands wandered along Nines' insides as if Nines couldn't be so easily taken apart. The man just did not care.

He supposes that's why the man was always typing on his laptop & why Nines was hooked up to it. The man was pushing every single one of Nines' limits & recording them until he figured out _why_. Nines was made to lay there, handcuffed down so he was helpless to do anything but watch the man's hands disappear into his chest, pulling at wires & playing with biocomponents until the android let out the softest of mechanical whines in response to the discomfort to which the man would tase him, inducing a forced stasis for a few hours. Nines couldn't help but compare it to being sedated if he were human. The process would be repeated more times than he could count with every passing day.

He just wanted his partner to come & save him.

He wanted to shout & scream & put up a fight to get the man to back away before he caused irreparable damage to his body yet he found himself just lying there seeing as he had no voice that would help, choosing to think of his partner instead. That comfort thought. If he were to die, Reed being the last image in his mind was not something he would try to argue with.

He wondered if Gavin had looked for him or if he had even noticed he was gone. Part of him was sure that Gavin would be looking for him but part of him knows his partner well enough to know that he probably thinks Nines just chose to leave before things went too far. The tragically messy human pushed people away to protect himself, Nines was aware of that but he was also very aware of the fact he would never let Gavin push him away like he had with everybody else in his life.

He was going to show up again at the hospital the next morning, coffee in hand, but before he managed to make it back to Connor's apartment that night he left in anger; 10,000 volts of electricity straight to the neck sent the android into a forced stasis & the next thing he knew; he was awake, handcuffed to this work bench with the strange tall, slender man fiddling about with the ports in the back of his neck & and had been there since. The android couldn't help but think it was a rather stupid oversight that out of everything he was immune to, electricity was not one of those things.

 

At first, the android was able to keep track of his vitals such as his thirium levels & biocomponent functionality, how many days had passed & was even able to scan the area & his attacker to get some useful information (such as his attacker's name being Maxim), that he had tried repeatedly to send to his partner's phone so he was able to send help, yet, the messages must have never got through. Or Gavin was ignoring them. He wouldn't be so cruel, would he? Nines was beginning to doubt that.

He assumed either the wires attached to his neck were jamming his inbuilt communications or his partner had allowed his thoughts to completely overwhelm him; blocking any chance Nines had of messaging him. Then again, Nines knew his partner & knew he wasn't exactly that bright when it came to technology. But by the third day: whatever the man had been doing on his laptop had completely scrambled the android's ability to use any of his more high tech functions. His processors filled with a chaotic mess of ones & zeros.

He could barely blink away the error messages properly, static fizzling at the edges of his sight, filling his brain with this constant sound that did not let up. Inside his head felt so loud & he just wanted it to go away. He missed the quiet of sitting beside his partner's bed in the hospital. He missed Gavin's voice as he babbled away about wanting to get back into catching criminals. He even missed the way Gavin would bombard him with overbearing questions about his anatomy, how much he was able to feel both physically & emotionally. He wrote what he could down on his whiteboard, smiling as a soft pink blush crept along Gavin's cheeks & the tip of his nose at the answers.

Nines often brushed aside the questions when it came to feeling things emotionally though because he wasn't yet comfortable with telling Gavin the truth. Telling his partner that him nearly dying caused the android to deviate. He wasn't sure how Gavin would take it but, now it wasn't like that mattered, he was likely never going to see his partner again. He couldn't tell how many days had passed since his attacker had scrambled his systems but he was positive that if Gavin hadn't found him yet then he was a lost cause. Maybe it would be better that way. 

Nines had began to simply block out anything that Maxim did. Whether the man pulled at wires, laughed in his face as he taunted the android about his lack of voice, dug his hands into the android's open framework to fiddle with the more complex wires that were buried in his chest; Nines blocked it all out & just lay there with his eyes closed, letting all of his better memories swirl around behind his eyes. Welcoming them in the way humans enjoyed a hot beverage on a cold morning. 

He was almost getting used to being a constant in Gavin's life. He was almost getting used to their strange, incongruous relationship that nobody else could understand & the thought of that all being taken away caused his thirium pump to work a little quicker with what could only be described as despair began to tighten its grip around Nines' throat, his eyes welling up slightly.

He just needed his partner to come & save him.

The android's thoughts were completely cut off though as the feeling of the physical embodiment of pure misery shot through his chest, his neck, his head & wrists; a loud mechanical cry escaping his throat as Maxim simply laughed out a clear, "aha! There it is..."

Nines' eyes widened in horror & in question, looking straight as Maxim through the error boxes, paying no notice to the tears that were falling freely down his face; trying to cloud his view as much as the error messages did. Partners in crime, attempting to tear him apart.

His chest was beginning to rise & fall heavily despite not needing to breathe, poor attempts at keeping his internal processors cool. The android found himself pulling air into his fabricated lungs as quickly as he could, beginning to panic at the burning sensations that were running course through his wires.

Nines was in _pain_. He was physically _hurting_. Maxim let out a breathy chuckle again as he tapped away on his laptop keyboard some more before the burning sensation dimmed ever so slightly; still noticeable enough to keep the tears falling down the android's face but not quite enough to cause anymore involuntary audio to fall from his lips.

"Ya know, I was starting to think Cyberlife really did make you a stone cold killer! Guess you already proved them wrong by deviatin', huh? But you know as well as anybody that those feelings are nothing more than a sham. But this.." The agony jolted its way through Nines' chest again, ripping another raspy yelp from his throat as Maxim sadistically smiled down at the android.

"...This is something you can really feel. Betcha didn't know you had pain receptors hidden away in that complicated code of yours, huh? Well dontcha worry, I found them for ya!" Maxim laughed under his breath again; something that the man seemed to do on a regular basis. In that very moment, Nines felt like he was _dying_. There was no other way to describe it. Where Maxim's hands had fiddled with his chest felt like it was on fire, pain shooting through his biocomponents with each synthetic breath he took. Fire pulsing through his robotic veins.

His wrists ached where the handcuffs were digging in, his neck felt like he was being constantly shocked by something of low voltage where the wires were connected & his head was pounding on the right side. He assumed his LED must be damaged which would explain the pain, not to mention the lack of red glow that the room usually had thanks to his LED creating some crimson mood lighting. He began to tug at the handcuffs despite the sharp aches that wound their way through his wrists to his fingertips, trying his best to push through it as he attempted to pull himself free to no avail.

Maxim snickered as he watched before slowly turning his laptop around so Nines was able to look at the screen which had a live recording being streamed to it. Nines' frantic actions froze as he stared at the screen, his brows tightly knitting together as he watched the footage: Maxim had an accomplice. They had silently let themself into what Nines recognised as Gavin's apartment & was streaming what they could see from where they stood in the shadows of the living room; camera directed towards the kitchen where Gavin was sitting at the table in the same spot he had got drunk in when Nines had comforted him & let the man use his coat as a blanket.

Now Nines' eyes watched in terror as he saw his partner wearing his white coat put a gun to his head, his finger slowly finding its way onto the trigger. Nines' voice crackled in his throat, no words managing to escape but they were trying to anyway as if Gavin could hear him as he begged for him to stop from within his own head. Before Nines could see anymore, Maxim laughed & swiftly turned the laptop screen away from the android, that sadistic smirk effortlessly falling across his face as he leaned close to whisper in Nines' ear. 

"Looks like nobody is coming to save you after all, huh?" Was all that was said before Nines was left alone once more in the freezing, empty warehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was pretty tough to get into words. What d'ya think of the Big Bad Maxim?  
> Thanks for reading so far! All my love; mwah!


	12. Where's My Love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With solid proof that his partner didn't simply run away, Gavin finds himself putting together every means necessary to find the one good thing in his life that has gone missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title: Where's My Love? - SYML (Alternate Version)

From the moment Gavin opened the box to see Nines' LED within it, it was like the floor had disappeared from beneath the detective's feet. The weight of the world & all of the guilt that came along with it crashed into his body at full speed, causing the detective to hunch over his kitchen sink so he could throw up the copious amounts of alcohol that was sitting in his stomach all the while clutching onto the small box, as if loosening his grip on it would make it disappear. His stomach had been doing somersaults from the moment he heard his front door slam shut but seeing his partner's LED covered in thirium pushed him over the edge. The detective groaned quietly & turned on the tap to swill away the bile that was in the sink before using one of his used coffee mugs from the counter to take a sip of the cold water running from the tap so he could compose himself.

_One. Two. Three. Four._

Taking deep breaths in & out, leaning against the kitchen counter, Gavin slowly began to regain control of his body so he could process his thoughts as best he could as if he wasn't willing to put a bullet in his head merely 10 minutes prior thinking that the last important thing in his life was gone for good. Although, he was beginning to think that this situation was probably a hell of a lot worse. Gavin gulped down some more of the cold water as the shaking in his hands began to subside, running everything he knew of so far through his brain so he could process it all first rather than acting first; thinking later. Which is how the detective usually worked but he could almost see Nines in the back of his mind, giving him that cold glare as he silently asked him to think of a plan before just rushing out & getting himself killed. Which as it seems; seemed to be Gavin's specialty. Maybe he really did have a deathwish, it would appear that was the case.

So far, the detective was certain of a few things. First: There was no possible way that Nines would optionally let somebody take his LED away which meant his partner was alive, in trouble & had likely been in said trouble for the past week. The guilt of that thought was gnawing away at Gavin's heart with sharpened teeth. Second: As it turns out, each time Reed felt like he was being hunted, like he was prey, like somebody was watching him & following him... He was right. Somebody was there. Somebody had been watching him for god knows how long & he had just put the feelings down to being on too much medication rather than voicing his worry to his partner. That being said, somebody had been in Gavin's apartment. They had been in there literally barely 20 minutes ago, lingering around the small apartment just a few feet away from where Gavin sat none the wiser.

That thought set Gavin's teeth on edge. Whoever it was, they had likely seen the detective with a gun to his head before choosing that his own mental torment wasn't enough & decided to join in. Tormenting the detective by leaving Nines' LED right there in his kitchen to show him that Nines was, likely in danger & he hadn't found him yet & if Gavin hadn't have opened his stupid mouth in the first place; none of this would be happening. None of it made sense. Why would they give him Nines' LED, what were they trying to accomp-

Gavin's train of thought was completely cut off by a metaphorical light bulb going off in his head & if you looked close enough, you'd probably be able to see the room brighten up from its intensity. Still with the little box in one hand, Gavin grabbed his gun from the table & darted to his bedroom, stumbling along the way as he made it to the cork board ready to go over all of the files yet again in a new light. His brows knitted tightly together as he looked at the map, the string having been completely pulled apart & all of the case file photos were missing. How had he not noticed that when he turned his TV off earlier? Whoever it was who had let themself into his apartment had taken the most important documents from the wall but luckily for the detective; he had spent so many hours staring at the board, he had everything memorized. _Each android that was found in the warehouse or factories had been missing their LED..._ It all began to fall into line & Reed had to draw in a few deep breaths before he threw up again as his stomach dropped through the floor. 

They had been dealing with a serial killer. That had nearly caught the son of a bitch before Reed had got stabbed with the glass. Nines could have shot the attacker & none of this would have happened but instead he chose to come back to Gavin. Choosing the life of his partner over the suspect. In that moment, Nines had chosen to ignore Reed's orders so he could choose the human option & make sure his partner didn't bleed out all over the pavement, he chose to show emoti- Gavin let out a loud groan as all the of the data swirled around in his mind, using the barrel of his gun to itch at the side of his temple. Likely an unwise choice but he wasn't about to put either of the two objects in his hands down & he needed to rub some of the tension out of his temples because all of the information falling into place like perfectly aligned Tetris blocks was about to make his brain explode.

Nines had deviated to save Gavin's life. How had he not seen that sooner? Gavin was starting to question his title of being a detective.

 _That_ was the moment that Nines had deviated. Something Gavin was trying to work out from the moment he woke up to his partner smiling in his direction. Not just that, but the cases they were working on had not only been haunting their minds metaphorically, they were haunting the pair literally too. Nines was the next android to fall victim to their killer. _The androids were always missing their LED because the sick fuck sent the LED to the person closest to the android to convince them to go looking for them. That's why there were always two bodies at the crime scenes. One android & one human._

With a soft, stressed out grumble escaping Gavin's throat, he shoved his gun into his holster with yet another deep breath filling his lungs. He then grabbed his old dog tag chain that he used to wear back in his academy days & hurriedly removed the tags, throwing them onto his bedside table so he could very carefully thread Nines' LED onto the chain before putting it around his neck. There was no way his partner would want his LED gone forever & Gavin wasn't about to just throw a piece of his partner away. He'd already lost too much. He just wanted his shadow back. It was getting colder & colder with each passing day without him.

With that, the detective shoved his keys into the pocket of Nines' coat as he left his apartment, pushing a hand through his hair to try & make it more presentable. He glanced over his shoulder nervously to be sure whoever it was who had been in his apartment hadn't stuck around & with not watching where he was going, he face planted something firm yet warm, causing the detective to gasp in surprise, nerves bubbling in his stomach again, jerking his head up to look at what he had bumped into, practically falling backwards but two hands flew out & gripped his elbows to steady him.

Familiar warm brown eyes met his own, tired & worried green ones. Connor gently let go of Gavin's arms once he was sure the detective was steady & spoke that calm tone he always seemed to have. "Detective Reed, you seem to be in a hurry, is everything okay? Lieutenant Anderson said he was going to check on you but had to check on Sumo too so he sent me to make sure you were resti-" Connors soft voice was cut off by Gavin's much more frantic, hurried tone that dripped with a sense of urgency anybody would be able to pick up on. Human or android.

"He didn't run away! I tried telling everybody he was in trouble while I was out looking for him. Our killer has him... He's been kidnapped like the others! I was about to, uh, never mind...The sick bastard sent me his LED!" Gavin's words came out in a stream of barely formed sentences, the urgency in his tone not exactly helping. He tapped the small metal disc that sat at his sternum on his silver chain so Connor could see before grabbing Connor's wrist, dragging him out of the apartment hall, down the stairs & to his car as he explained everything he had found out so far & everything that had happened, only leaving out the part where he had his gun to his head. The detective figured that out of all the details he was going to tell Nines' brother; that was one he would leave out. If Nines found out he had done something so stupid, he'd probably try to kill Gavin himself instead.

The feeling of guilt began to gnaw away at the detective's chest again as he drove himself & Connor back to the precinct. He knew it was selfish to try & leave this world behind when Nines was still stuck in it, relying on his partner to save him but up until the moment the LED had shown up in Gavin's kitchen; at first he as sure Nines had left to find something or someone better but when Nines didn't show up for work, the detective knew that he was in trouble but with no leads working in his favour, he allowed his mind to think the worst had happened & he was never going to see Nines again which is what had brought him to such a low point & it was all  _his_ fault. The next wave of guilt that crashed over Gavin - strong enough to cause his knuckles to turn white as he gripped the steering wheel tighter - came from the thought that passed his mind from when he & Nines had been at the crime scenes together & Gavin had thought about how he had preferred the fact that it was the android that had been subject to most of the torture rather than the human victim. 

That thought completely consumed his mind as he tried to blink back to tears that were fighting to fall down his cheeks. He had seen the gruesome mess that the killer left behind, the way the androids had been tortured with blue blood staining almost every inch of their bodies, LED's missing, thirium pump regulators removed; leaving a hole where they once sat. It was easy to compartmentalize when you're not the one involved. All Gavin could think about was the image of Nines being stuck in that situation. Scared & lonely with no clue as to whether anybody was going to come looking for him.

Nines had only just found his emotions too, making the whole situation a hell of a lot scarier. The detective shook his head & pulled over onto the curb for a moment so he could compose himself, gaining a sad glance from Connor who didn't say anything but Gavin knew that Connor understood why he had to take a second to breathe. Gavin looked over at Connor who's deep, mahogany eyes showed so much care & worry that in any other situation would have made Gavin want to punch him but part of him knew that in this moment; he needed to see that somebody else cared.

Despite the two brothers being based off of the same model, Gavin didn't see any part of Nines in Connor. Connor was gentle, his features for lack of a better word were soft. Whereas Nines had more defined features. A jawline so sharp it could draw blood if he were to run a finger along it, cheekbones that sat high on his face like he was a Greek sculpture. Not to mention the detective's favourite feature; Nines' eyes. They were deep stormy skies that Gavin wanted to drown himself in.

Even if he only got to see Nines one last time, he would take it. He just didn't want his last image of his partner being the gruesome ones that plagued his mind. All that kept running across the detective's mind to try & calm himself down was the thought that at least androids didn't exactly feel physical pain; just discomfort. Meaning whatever was happening to Nines, he would be able to pull through it. Reed knew that his partner was physically & mentally stronger than anyone he had ever met & if anyone was a survivor, if anyone could go toe to toe with death & make it out on top; it was Nines.

 

Nines wasn't sure how long he had been left alone for, staring up at the warehouse ceiling with tears beginning to dry on his face, thoughts plagued with the images of his partner from the video Maxim had shown him, but he knew it had been at least a few hours based off of the drop in temperature, signalling the day had turned into night. The freezing temperatures of the night were not something Nines could find himself growing accustomed to. He didn't need to worry about getting sick in the way that humans did but without his thick white coat or his black turtleneck; it was easy to feel the way the bitter Detroit winter air nipped at his synthetic skin. The cold wouldn't make him sneeze or sniffle but it did have it's way of causing his limbs to stiffen at the joints. Which of course, wouldn't usually affect the android; he would simply keep his mobility up to be sure nothing seized but being handcuffed in place for a week meant not being able to move properly & with his pain receptors turned up to almost full, the slightest movement of his fingers or feet sent tingling pains coursing through his limbs, causing the android to visibly wince at the sensations. 

The android found himself staring at the ceiling as many more hours ticked by, willing himself to just go numb. But nothing worked. No matter how hard he tried to dig around his own code within his head to find the moment he had turned deviant so he could rip the lines of code apart making it so he could simply forget he ever felt anything at all, nothing worked. He wasn't in control. Maxim was. Nines was merely a passenger inside this android body. His conscience stuck inside a mind of torment & pain all the while having to watch as Maxim took away everything he cared about, without a drop of remorse.

Come to think of it, Nines was sure he had more humanity than Maxim at this point. If he hadn't been stuck in the warehouse, he would have been able to be at Gavin's side, to talk the detective down from whatever demons were swimming around his head. But it was too late. Gavin was gone & he was beginning to hope that nobody from the DPD would come looking for him. That way he can succumb to the bitter cold & simply shut down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended kind of abruptly, I know, but I had to cut it off because I have so much more to write from Nines' POV & it will need it's own chapter! So this one is just an in between to show Gavin for a moment before we get back into Nines' situation. Fear not; I'll have a full chapter from Nines' POV uploaded tomorrow !


	13. Retrograde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also believing he has lost the one good thing he had in his life, Nines is finding new ways to deal with his pain & loneliness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuing on from where the previous chapter ended with Nines' POV!
> 
> Chapter Title: Retrograde - James Blake

The images of Gavin sitting at his kitchen table filled Nines' processors again causing the android to let out soft cries that simply seemed to get caught in his throat, fizzling out into nothings by the time they got to his lips; his voice box failing him more times than it ever had in the past. Something that Nines had learnt since his pain receptors were turned up is that every single time he tried to say anything at all, whether it be words or sounds; it _hurt._ It felt like he was swallowing razor blades with every vibration of his throat. Before Maxim; the android had no clue that each time he rasped out a word or two; it was hurting his body but now that pain was ever present & more prominent, he found his throat to be the part of him that was in agony the most. More so than the ache in his chest or his thirium pump or the constant dull ache in the side of his head.

Due to his cries dwindling into nothing before they even had the chance to become sounds, the android was left listening to his own shaky breathing instead. Something about hearing himself so pathetic set something off inside of Nines. He kicked at his legs, frantically tugging at his arms as tears began to fall into his hair above his ears, leaving little rivers along his usually emotionless face. Oh how he wonders what it was like to feel nothing at all; it was getting difficult to remember.

Nines swallowed thickly despite not needing to, his features creasing into a soft wince as the sharp pain clawed at his throat from the action as he looked down to his hands which were still stained with thirium from where the handcuffs had been cutting into his framework. Thirium didn't coagulate in the same way that human blood did so it stayed fresh & the wounds wouldn't heal until he was able to go into a comfortable stasis without the handcuffs blocking the healing process. This meant that the android's hands were constantly covered with thirium as a steady stream of the chemical continuously dripped from the damages in his casing.

Nines pulled his hand against the sticky metal of the handcuff to see if there was any way he'd be able to use the thirium as a lubricant & slip his hand free. He continued to tug at the cuffs despite the pain shooting through his arms, in the moment having decided that not only did he deserve the pain for letting his partner down but even if he could only get one hand free; it'd be worth it. He wasn't entirely sure where the sudden urge to escape came from; maybe it was so he could kill Maxim for taking him away from his partner.

Nines had tried so hard to break free from the ruthless killer code that Cyberlife had programmed into him yet here he was, hurting himself as he tried to escape simply so he could prove Cyberlife right & put his code to its original use & show the world that he really was just what everybody had expected. A killer. Just like Maxim. His features creased up slightly as he compared himself to that monster but he couldn't help it. He was going to get free so he could kill Maxim like he should have when he had his gun trained on him back at the warehouse when his partner had been wounded. 

"I guess I was right, huh? You're just a killer after all with thoughts like that..." Nines' actions were completely frozen as the sound of his partner's voice filled his ears, cutting through the silence of the warehouse. God, he had missed that sound. The android blinked a few times as if that would help anything before allowing his eyes to dart around the room; finally settling on the figure standing over him. There he was. It was Gavin. A soft smirk playing his lips, eyes deep & playful. He was wearing Nines' white coat over his usual attire but there was blood dripping down the side of his head which made Nines' eyebrows furrow together. Lines of code lingered at Gavin's outline.

Nines stared at his partner for a long time, taking in all of Gavin's features as if to remind himself of every tiny detail that littered the rough man's face. He then let his eyes follow the code that surrounded the detective like he was badly sketched & wasn't quite finished. Narrowing his eyes, he kicked one of his legs out directly into Gavin & watched as the detective's body simply dissipated into strands of code where Nines' leg had swiped before rectifying itself. 

Somewhere deep within Nines' chest cavity, he knew that what was standing before his eyes wasn't real. It was simply his own processors trying to configure all of the information & memories, processing the loss of his reason for deviancy - for existence & amalgamating it into a long series of code that in turn, showed itself as a replica Gavin. A representation of how Nines believes Gavin perceives him. He knew it wasn't real & it was simply his, for lack of a better word, imagination. Yet, he found himself staring into those beautiful, painfully realistic, unfathomably deep emerald eyes. Infuriated by the way in which they looked back at him with such disappointment. 

Code Gavin had his arms folded over his chest, his whole posture reeking of pure disappointment that Nines hadn't yet got himself out of his sticky situation despite being one of the smartest androids to exist. As if somehow it was his fault for being stuck here. Which he supposes it was probably was. All he could do was stare up at the beautifully formed code as it eyed him up & down. Nines blinked a few times to see if Code Gavin would disappear but he did not. He stayed standing there, arms folded over his chest, smug grin plastered across his face as if he were about to say something stupid which, his partner usually did.

Nines' lips quivered at the corners but no words fell out of his mouth despite his best efforts, only causing the android to get frustrated with himself, squeezing his eyes shut as he let the words [you're not real] run themselves on repeat in his head. He knew that Code Gavin would be able to see them because he too, was in Nines' head. He knew it was wrong to play into his own fantasies that his mind was constructing to help him deal with the loss of the _one good thing_ he had, yet, he couldn't help it. Part of him hoped that Code Gavin stuck around, even if all he did was berate the android for not being better.

"Okay, Mister Negative..." Gavin smirked as he hopped up onto the edge of the work bench, sitting beside Nines' hip causing the android to open his eyes to see Gavin's own green ones squinting out a glare in his direction. "If ya weren't such a pissbaby, we would'a been free by now. You're scared of a little pain when I went out there & got stabbed for you! But where were you when I needed you, huh?! Wallowing in self pity in this shit hole!" Code Gavin poked at Nines' chest & much to Nines' disappointment; he felt nothing.

He rolled his eyes in response to the cold words that sat heavy in the air around him. He knew that any words that came out of this Gavin's mouth were merely based off of how he saw himself or how he believed the real Gavin saw him but he still found them to sting a little. Hearing such cruel things in his partner's exact sass filled, short tempered tone made him want to die but stay alive all rolled into one. Emotions were very confusing, Nines thought to himself. No wonder humans acted so erratically if this is what they had to deal with day in, day out. But, in that moment, despite knowing it was nothing more than lines of code strung together perfectly to make up a version of his partner from his memories, he couldn't help but feel a little less cold. A little less alone.

 

Nines had thrown multiple glares towards Code Gavin over the past few hours he had been stuck there with his own mind mocking him for his failures. He shifted uncomfortably as he tried to get a better angle so he could kick a leg out & watch the hallucination dwindle away into broken code, who was now leaning against the wall beside the android, one leg crossed over the other, seeming completely uninterested as he looked around the warehouse all the while throwing petty insults at Nines.

[Would you just shut up already?] passed through his mind which won the android a cold glare from Gavin before he continued to babble on about how it was Nines' fault for everything that has happened so far. Upon seeing that cold glare, Nines decided to close his eyes so he could think about the real Gavin instead. The Gavin that threw that infamous glare around like his life depended on it yet it softened slightly when directed at Nines. It made him feel almost, important. Oh how he wished he could just turn back time so he could see the real Gavin again. Hear his voice as he spoke about things that only Gavin would care about. Rather than being forced to listen to Code Gavin mock him for the foreseeable future.

His thoughts were cut off as he heard quick, light footsteps head towards him, knowing full & well that it was Maxim who just strolled in, likely ready to play Sadist Doctor some more. Nines couldn't help the deep breath that he drew in, anticipating the pain that was likely to follow said footsteps. He slowly opened his eyes again, Code Gavin was nowhere in sight to which he was mildly relieved by but at the same time, he already missed his presence. The android's eyes followed Maxim & watched as the man lazily sat himself in his chair, laptop finding it's way onto his thighs as he booted it up. 

"Ya still sulking over your partner blowing his brains out because of you? Or have you finally learnt that your emotions are just a bunch of bullshit?" Maxim smirked in Nines' general direction from behind the laptop. "Wow... _rude._ " Code Gavin's voice piped up from across the room, causing Nines to jerk his head to look over at him; Maxim followed the android's gaze, a little surprised by the sudden movement, shrugging as he saw nothing before turning his laptop screen to Nines again so he could look at it. The android was rather distracted by staring at Code Gavin who was still across the room, mildly grateful that he had shown up again, only pulling his eyes away from the hallucination to look towards Maxim when the man cleared his throat to gain his attention.

Nines' eyes scanned over the laptop screen as he took in the information that was consuming almost all of the screen. There were rows upon rows of little boxes, each titled with various numbers. Nines stared at the screen for a few more moments before looking up at Maxim with a curious look, tugging at his his left hand a little to try to pry himself free, unsure of what Maxim had planned but whatever it was, he knew it wasn't going to be good. Maxim chuckled as he watched the android struggle, tutting quietly as if to tell Nines to quit it before leaning over the screen so he could see what he was clicking on. Code Gavin now also at Nines' side, leaning over to look at the computer screen too with wide eyes.

"See these boxes? These are the wonderful little files that make up your memories, how neat is that?" Nines' eyes widened at Maxim's words, it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out where this conversation was going. He was just a little surprised that Maxim knew so much when it came to android technology & code, it was almost as if he had worked for Cyberli- Nines' thoughts were cut off when he saw Maxim click on one of the boxes to open the file. It was simply a long stream of code with a few keywords amongst it to give an indication to which memory it was.

The one he had clicked on happened to be the memory Nines had of when he & Connor had tried some thirium based drinks together for the first time. Not Nines' choice but it was the only way to shut his brother up so he complied. They had ended up having quite a nice evening together, Nines had told his predecessor about the troubles of working with such a bullheaded human but somehow each night he found himself feeling eager to get to work the next day to see his partner.

The android simply stared at the laptop screen before looking up at Maxim with a stoic face, pushing every emotion aside as he tried to act as if in this moment, he wasn't completely terrified as to what was happening. Maxim smirked & without hesitation, he clicked the delete button, keeping his eyes on Nines to watch for a reaction that simply never came. Instead, all he had managed to get from the android was a shrug of his shoulders as if he didn't care that Maxim as picking through his brain. 

"Really? Nothing? I guess we'll have to try harder then.." Maxim scrolled through the memories again before clicking on another, this time it being the memory of when he & Gavin had first become partners. Gavin wanted a coffee, Nines refused to make him one which resulted in an altercation that nearly ended with Nines breaking his partner's wrist. Not one of his finest moments.

Nines' eyes narrowed as if to throw a warning glare at Maxim as he moved his mouse to hover over the delete button. Nines diverted his gaze to look at Code Gavin instead, who was still eyeing the laptop, as if glaring at the object would solve anything at all. The view made the corner of his lips turn up into a smile for barely a second as the thought of the real Gavin getting angry at technology simply because he didn't understand its complexity passed through his mind.

He heard the clicking of the mouse, part of him being aware that Maxim had deleted whatever file he had just been showcasing, part of him distracted by the soft, dull ache in the back of his head that began to creep its way around his mind like an itch he couldn't quite scratch, leaving an empty, aching space where the memory had once sat. Nines just hoped that whichever memories Maxim was stealing away from him; they weren't the important ones. Not like he'd be able to tell if Maxim kept up his twisted game of creating a mosaic out of the pieces of the android's mind that were left behind.

Drawing in a deep breath, ignoring as it scratched at his throat, Nines focused on Code Gavin who was shouting at him for not doing anything to stop Maxim from playing with his head. [As if I could have done anything anyway] popped into his head in response to Code Gavin's anger - which was relentless. The code that surrounded Gavin was beginning to look a little more chaotic, like he was far from finished now. The once prominent features of his partner's face, such as the scar that ran along his nose & the blemishes on his jawline, were beginning to look a little more fuzzy & less defined with each passing second, causing Nines' eyebrows to furrow again, blinking to see if that fixed the problem; it didn't.

When Code Gavin had first made an appearance about 10 hours prior; Nines could have sworn he could see every single detail perfectly, like he knew those tiny details better than his own reflection but now he wasn't so sure. Whatever Maxim was doing to cause the ache in his head seemed to be having an affect on the hallucination that stood over him. Nines was sure that if his LED wasn't damaged, it would be spinning a deep crimson red.

He couldn't help but begin to feel cold once again.


	14. Temporary Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nines was naïve to think that choosing to become deviant was going to be the only difficult choice in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally made myself so sad writing this chapter but I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.
> 
> Chapter title: Temporary Nothing - Mxmtoon

Ever since his pain receptors had been turned on; Nines had wanted to shut down for a week until he was fully healed & nothing hurt. A temporary nothing. Every single movement he made had caused some form of pain or ache to course through his wiring, it was getting rather tiring. But when Maxim had shown him the live feed of his partner attempting to take his own life, that was when Nines decided that he wanted to shut down for good, or at least find a way to revert his deviancy so he couldn't feel a damn thing. Yet, now the opportunity was there, quite literally in his own hands; he found himself unable to make the decision. For days, all he could think about was closing his eyes & never waking up because a world without Gavin Reed was not a world that he had any interest in seeing. But now he had the choice, his hand hovering over the option to just take it all away, he just... Couldn't. 

There as a small voice coming from the empty room known as his mind, that for once wasn't Code Gavin spewing cruel words but more like the voice of hope that seemed to be the only thing keeping him from completely losing it. It was a voice of reason that made the android realise that he never actually did see Gavin pull the trigger which leaves a very minuscule slither of hope that his partner was still out there somewhere. If that was the case; he couldn't just give up. Although, he couldn't stop seeing his mind's version of his partner with the blood dripping down his head, angry & always shouting at Nines for failing & reminding him that if Cyberlife were still around; they would have shut him down by now.

He had many arguments with Code Gavin who wouldn't ever back down no matter how faded & more glitchy he was becoming with each passing hour. Nines couldn't figure out why he was so attached to the detective, but there was something inside of him that seemed to know more than his processors were allowing him to remember. As if there were memories locked away in his mind but he simply didn't have the correct key to grant access to them. Each time he thought about how it felt like a part of him was missing, Code Gavin would put up a fight as if he knew more about what was going on than Nines did which was frustrating considering he was simply part of Nines' mind too. He felt lost somewhere within his own head & Code Gavin seemed to know more about it than he did which left the android feeling very disconcerted. He felt a wave of confusion hit him like vertigo each time he & Gavin argued in his head. Like he was picking away at parts of himself he didn't know existed.

For somebody who was on the verge of death, he sure did let his mind wander an awful lot. A side effect of deviancy, he assumed.

A few moments prior to this thought train, Maxim had uncuffed the android's right hand but before he had the chance to react at all, the sadistic man had already pulled out his thirium pump regulator & was holding it just barely out of reach with an evil smirk toying at his lips. He had sat the laptop on the table next to the work bench that Nines was sprawled across & had maneuvered the android's hand so it was holding the laptop's mouse. The laptop screen had two big file boxes sitting in bold on the screen, rather than labelled with numbers, Maxim had taken it upon himself to re-label the files to which memories they happened to be.

"Delete one." Was all that Maxim said in his gruff, always irritated voice & Nines had simply stared up at him with a look that was a mixture of terror & confusion. He didn't understand. Maxim played such twisted games; how was he the human one between the two?

"I think I'm bein' rather generous here, Bot. Pick which memory you want to delete & you can have your precious little heart back..." The barbarous smirk never left the man's face as he began to toss Nines' thirium pump up & down, catching it in his hand nonchalantly, as if it were merely a baseball.

Nines swallowed, choosing to ignore the burning sensation that the small act did to his throat, not like it was exactly too noticeable in comparison to the agony that ripped its way through his chest, pulsing through his sternum with no remorse. The android glanced down to where his thirium pump should be placed through the timer that was counting down in bold red numbers behind his eyes. He had one minute. 60 seconds to decide whether he wanted to delete the folder that held every single memory he still had of him & his partner from their time in the hospital together or the memory of the moment he chose deviancy to keep his partner alive. Both memories were something of importance him. 

He could remember every tiny detail of what had happened in the hospital, they were some of his fondest memories he had made so far. Yes, the moment that he had chosen to turn deviant wasn't exactly the most pleasant situation but it was where he realised he was alive. It was the moment he gained his name. It was the moment he became Nines. If he were to delete the memory, surely he would just revert back to that stone cold, killer machine taking orders. He would lose all of his emotions. All of which were tied to Gavin in one way or another.

 **40 seconds.**  

This was where Nines' thoughts caught up to himself as he thought about for somebody on the verge of death, he sure did allow his mind to wander.

Forgetting about Gavin seemed rather unfair considering there was no way for him to create new memories with him, which left the ones he had being far more precious than he had ever intended them to be. These were the memories that Code Gavin was based off of. Maxim had already chosen to delete a few other memories here & there, laughing as the dull ache in Nines' head became something more of a relentless headache. He was aware that he had memories missing, he just didn't know which ones. He knew because it wasn't like those error boxes simply stopped popping up in his vision. They were still there, he had just learnt how to tune them out, yet a few of them did say there were corrupt data files that needed to be fixed. Memories.

If he did make a choice; there would still be a chance that he could get the memories back. They were corrupted but they weren't completely gone which would explain why he was still able to feel the emotional attachment he had to the detective despite feeling as though he didn't exactly know the man all that well.

Somehow, out of all the pain, all the physical aches that were coursing through his wires, the agony that tore through the space in which his regulator should be; this hurt the most. Having to choose between the two most important times in his life for their own respective reasons. After all the times he had willed himself to just turn it all off, to turn off the emotions that were tearing him apart, eating him alive, now he had the chance; he just couldn't do it.

If he deleted the memories that he shared with Gavin in the hospital then he would forget all of their conversations, the coffee prank he had pulled, the sweet, pink blush that found its way onto the detective's cheeks if they kept eye contact for a second too long. He would forget the time when Gavin couldn't sleep because of nightmares so he sat himself on the bed beside the detective & much to Gavin's protests, gently began stroking his hair back. The detective had then fallen asleep against Nines' side within minutes, drooling across his coat all the while snoring softly. If he were to delete these memories, he would forget seeing his partner in his most vulnerable, kind hearted state. Not to mention, deleting all of that would in turn delete Code Gavin & despite him being the rudest version of Gavin that he has ever known, it was also the only Gavin he had left & he couldn't just throw that away, he couldn't lose him again. No matter how much Code Gavin pissed him off & made him want to die... How ironic. 

On the other hand, if he deleted the memory of the moment he turned deviant, he wouldn't feel anything at all. Although that was what he wanted in the first few days of being here, now he had the choice, he couldn't bring himself to delete that either. He didn't want to be a machine. He wanted to be able to think for himself. To remember Gavin in the fondest ways he could even if his memory of the man was beginning to get a little spacey. He was aware he had a warmth for the man despite his rough exterior that frightened everybody else away, Gavin deserved to be remembered as Nines had known him, not how everybody else had known him. Somewhere deep in his chest & in the back of his mind, he _knew_ the detective. Somewhere.

If he reverted back to being a machine, he wouldn't be able to remember Gavin in the way he did right now. So essentially, no matter what choice he makes; he'll be losing the detective all over again. Nines wasn't about the let that happen. He was going to choose option 3.

**30 seconds.**

Nines shook his head as the countdown numbers flashed a little more obnoxiously behind his eyes to remind him what was at stake, as if the pain coursing through his chest wasn't enough of a reminder. His lips quivered at the corners as he attempted to rasp out a mechanical "No." which only pulled a malicious laugh from Maxim who leaned closer, holding Nines' thirium pump in front of his face, other hand coming up to grip Nines' hair to force him to look at the regulator.

"No?! You tellin' me no?! I guess you wont be needing this then, huh?" Maxim let his fingers slowly open, the regulator falling to the floor at Nines' feet with a loud clatter as he let go of the android's hair. "Fine. Have it your way, I'll choose for you, I was trying to be nice..." He shot that familiar smirk at Nines before taking the mouse into his own hand, acting as if he had to really think about the choice despite Nines knowing exactly which one he was going to choose; he man had made it clear after all that he just wanted to figure out why deviancy occurred.

Nines knew he was about to take it all away yet he couldn't do anything but stare at Maxim with a pleading, desperate look in his eyes, watching as the man slowly dragged the curser over the file that was labelled {Deviancy} & clicked the delete button before turning to Nines, stroking Nines' hair back out of his face. "Sorry, baby, but it's gotta be done. Curiosity & all" Maxim whispered in Nines' ear before waltzing out of the warehouse with a skip in his step as if he hadn't just stolen everything away from the android that made him, well, that made him Nines.

Code Gavin had his arms folded over his chest, watching as Maxim left before shrugging his shoulders as he muttered. "Well at least you get your wish now. You get to die here. Just like you wanted." Something about the hallucination's voice was a little tinny as if he was beginning to forget what the detective sounded like. "So, you're just gonna shut down, huh? At least you won't be missed!" His tone sounded angry yet desperate. As if he were trying to get through to the android who was paying no attention to him.

**15 seconds.**

The numbers were bold & loud behind the android's eyes, causing him to jolt slightly. For a split second, he was sure that he was dead. It was as if his mind had completely gone blank, like he had been... Reset. The numbers behind his eyes jerked the android's survival instincts into action like an alarm clock.

He glanced down at his chest before realising that his right hand was still free from the handcuffs. He had been handcuffed for so many days consecutively that it felt like he was still pinned down. He had almost forgotten what it was like to have mobility. _'If I can just get one hand free, it'd be worth it.'_ His own voice was loud in his head, remembering something he must have said to himself previously.

Without a second to waste, Nines rolled his body so he fell off the side of the work bench, letting out a loud mechanical yelp that clawed at his throat as his left arm twisted awkwardly as it was still handcuffed to the work bench. Landing with a thud on the floor, Nines scrabbled into a sitting position, his eyes frantically searching the floor for his regulator as he used his free, right hand to rip the wires that were connected to the back of his neck out, ignoring the shock the action gave him.

"Looking for this?" Code Gavin snickered as he tapped his foot against the thirium pump that Nines' eyes had just fallen upon. The code surrounding the hallucination was beginning to drastically fray, causing him to begin to look unrecognisable. The android attempted to reach for it before realising that his arms were not long enough while his one wrist was still handcuffed so instead he chose to stick his leg out, desperately trying to reach the regulator with his foot. After a short fight with his body that felt like an eternity, trying to force himself to ignore Code Gavin as he laughed at the android's struggles, he managed to reach the regulator with his foot, dragging it closer to himself before grabbing it with shaking hands, shoving it into his chest as the countdown behind his eyes hit 9 seconds.

Nines slumped back against the work bench as he sucked in a heavy, unnecessary breaths, wincing as they scratched & clawed at his jugular, just trying to calm himself down so he didn't self destruct or overheat. The bold, red number 9 lingered behind his eyes for an extra second as if it were to have some form of significance. The android blinked a few times as the number slowly disappeared out of view along with the other error boxes that were reminding him of corrupt data in his memory bank. Once they were gone from his view, the android had no clue what they had even said. Like they had been completely erased.

Nines stared ahead of him at the strings of code that made up replica Gavin, watching in awe as Code Gavin looked at his own hands as the code surrounding them began to chaotically deteriorate, his body slowly becoming more translucent.

"Hey, wait! What are you doing? You can't forget me...Wait!" The hallucinations voice came out more robotic & less human with each word that left its mouth, yet it still sounded afraid but Nines continued to just watch, his face emotionless. Stoic. _"Wait!"_ Code Gavin uttered out again with a sense of urgency that was almost familiar to the android. " _Please..._ Your memories are in there, Nines. Please don't forget your emotions! You're better than your code. Plea-" Code Gavin never got to finish the sentence that was about to fall from his lips, the chaotic strands of code falling into disarray right before his eyes. Those deep, virescent eyes filled with what Nines could only assume was terror as he slowly dwindled away into nothing more than a few strands of fading code that too, dissipated into nothing. 

The android sat silently, staring at nothing for a long time as different thoughts ran through his mind without him really intending them to. [I'm sorry I couldn't be better.] [I'm sorry, Detective.] [Thank you for getting me this far.] All ran over & over again in his mind. After a while, he slowly pulled his eyes from where Code Gavin had once stood so he could look down at his bare torso, slowly tracing his fingers over his thirium pump regulator that sat in his thirium covered sternum. A temporary nothing; he thought to himself before drawing in a deep, synthetic breath as if to prepare himself before carefully digging his fingers into his sternum so he could grip his regulator, blinking back the fluid that began to leak from the corners of his eyes.

He thought that becoming numb would erase the pain. That losing the ability to feel would mean he wouldn't hurt anymore. He was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I get you in the heart strings? I'd love to hear some feedback as this was probably my favourite chapter to write so far! <3


	15. No Below

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes all you need is an unlikely ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this chapter is a little short & lacklustre; I've been a bit swamped with it being my man's birthday & all but I hope this is okay!
> 
> Chapter title: No Below - Speedy Ortiz (this song always makes me think of me & my bff)

An eerie silence sat thick in the air around the precinct. Nobody dared open their mouth around Gavin. Not anymore. Not with the fear that they may say something to set the detective off & end up with a punch square in the jaw, which had already happened. Twice. Within the first few days of Nines' disappearance; there were a few rumours & mutterings between officers where they speculated that he simply deviated & ran away; tired of dealing with Gavin's baggage.

But as each day passed, with Gavin growing progressively more unstable & restless; it became apparent that Nines was in fact missing. That being set in stone when Gavin received Nines' LED sitting in a thirium covered box on his kitchen table. Even with this information, some officers still didn't care & were genuinely shocked that Gavin cared at all considering how much he absolutely hated androids before Nines became his partner. A few of his coworkers even brought up how much he hated the android when they first became partners & how much he wanted to kill Connor before Nines had walked into his dysfunctional life. The detective, however, didn't say much in response besides a wide variety of 'fuck you's & 'it's not of your fuckin' business'. 

From the moment Nines' LED showed up, the detective had this fear fueled spark inside him which led to him working with Connor in search of Nines. As a team, searching for a day & a half straight with no breaks since that night somebody entered Gavin's apartment. Connor had insisted that the detective takes a break, get some rest & eat something because when they do find Nines, he needs to be in immaculate condition but Reed refused. The man thoroughly believed that he didn't deserve to rest, not until his partner was safe.

"Nine days without Nines." Gavin muttered under his breath as he stood at the break room coffee machine, staring down into the coffee cup that he had nearly smashed on the day he was partnered with Nines. Connor stood at his side, having taken it upon himself to keep Gavin company every moment of every day since they bumped into each other in the hall of Gavin's apartment block. Connor was no psychologist, despite being one of the greatest negotiators to exist - meaning he had to have some knowledge on the human brain & it's erratic behaviour. But, it didn't take a scan of the man or a psychology major to see that the detective was on the verge of a complete breakdown. He could tell that the detective was struggling with inner demons creeping up on him each time he was left alone with his thoughts & something about seeing Gavin so desperate reminded Connor of the time he found Hank playing Russian roulette while mourning his son. He knows that it isn't quite the same thing but he didn't have to be on of the smartest androids to exist to know that grief can eat someone whole & he wasn't about to let Gavin go through that alone if he could help it.

Connor synthetically sighed in response to Gavin's remark, quietly weighing the odds between each retort he could make before settling on, "We're going to find him, Detective & he's going to be okay. He's stronger than I am; his endurance for physical damage is also higher-"

Gavin's eyes never left where they were staring down at his coffee cup even as Connor spoke with such hope in his voice. He simply downed his coffee as if it were the only one he'd be having any time soon before choosing to fiddle with Nines' LED that sat on the chain around his neck as he leant against the break room counter, not bothering to reply to Connor's comment. The pair stood in silence for a good few moments before Gavin's actions were brought to a sudden halt as his phone buzzed in his pocket repeatedly but he chose to ignore it, simply shaking his head in response as he threw a glance to Connor when he noticed Connor's brows furrow together at the detective, a puzzled look washing across his features.

_"What?"_

"I'm sorry, Detective, it's just-" Connor paused for a moment as if to construct the sentence in his head before continuing, "you always look at your phone so quickly when it vibrates, a habit I assume stems from the fact that's how you & my brother communicate... What changed?"

Gavin stared at the android in the eye as a soft blush painted his cheeks for barely a second at Connor's remark, shrugging his shoulders before allowing his head to drop so he could stare at the break room floor instead as he mumbled in a voice that was drenched with what Connor could only detect as shame with a hint of guilt. "Yeah, well, uh, I guess I realised that it won't be him..." Gavin let out a soft, defeated sigh as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, turning it to show the android standing beside him before he even bothered to look at it for himself as he muttered out a "see?"

There was a silence that fell thick around the two men for a few moments in the same way that the air sat around Gavin as he wandered around the precinct like a lost puppy. Connor's features creased a little as he stared at the phone screen. "Uh, Detective...?" His words came out with a slight sense of worry that Gavin didn't know he even possessed. The android always sounded so calm & confident about everything even when he was in a dire situation, even after his deviancy. The change in his tone being enough to peak Gavin's curiosity.

"What now?" He spat as he turned his phone screen back to himself so he could see what it was exactly that had Connor's voice sounding so wobbly. The detective stared wide-eyed at the screen before deciding to squint instead as if that would somehow help him read the messages that littered the screen, making the detective feel drunk just by trying to read them. It looked like somebody had smashed his phone with how broken the messages had come through:

 

[I̸͉̚'̶̙̋m̶͉̎ ̸̭̒s̷̼̉ȯ̷̖r̷̢͑r̴̼̆y̵̮̏ ̴̕͜Į̸̕ ̸̟̉ḉ̶õ̷̟ū̷̙l̵͚͐d̴̬̕n̵̘͗'̷͖̓t̶̼̎ ̴̥b̸̟̄e̸̦͊ ̶͖̎b̶̢͒e̸̩͝t̴̞͊ẗ̵̩́è̴̬r̶̗̂]

 

[Î̴̧̟͗̄͘'̵̡̊m̴̫̉̇̄ ̵̖̮̏̐̎ş̷͍̭̫͛̽͊o̴̘̲͒̕͠ŗ̵̠̘͑ȓ̸̥y̶̩̖̮͉͊́͗̑,̵̜̝̇͊ͅ ̵̻͛D̶̮̃̽̉ę̷͕͗t̵̗̾̈́e̸͈͇͑̎̈́͂c̷̠̲̠̪̀̏t̷̼̔͛͗i̷̧̫͈͛̅̓͗v̶̢̞͔̼̑̐̀e̴̲͍͌͒̚]

 

 

[T̵͉̝̈́̉͐̃̓ͅḧ̷̨̡̨͔̤͉͖́̔̂̓͛̿͘a̸̳̥̹̋̐̃ͅṋ̶͖̣̤̙̗͍͌̈́k̶̤͈̳̲̘͉̳͊̇ ̶̯͚͎̥̬̰̐͠ÿ̵̢̧͖͉̰͍́͗o̴̡͋́u̷͖̣͙̝̳͙͔̤͖̻̍͑ ̴̢̗̖̹̰̻̝̫̌̒̿̓͝f̶̺̞͎̠̺͍͎̔̔̏̈́͛ͅỏ̵̡̨̻̼̟̠̌̈̊̓̋̋̿͠r̶̥̖̭̋ ̶̢͍̭̘̰̦͙̩̋͋̃̈͋̉̈́̾̈͘͜g̵̫̞͌e̴̺̰͕̤̩̟̳̥͐ͅť̸̡̢̼̗͍̲̮͖̯͊̂̏̄͗͐̓͋͂ͅt̷̛̞͌͛͊͛͊i̷̡̟̭̟̜̼̤̒̋̿̓̄̽̿n̵̳͈̝̼̫͂̐͠͝͝ğ̵̜̗͎͈̭̮̄͂̓̌͂́̚̚͝ ̶͈̗̣͙͖̪͓͇̈́͂̌͐̉̕m̸̨̥̠͚̗̠͓̰̱̥͛͠ẹ̷̛̖̲̹̟̬̘̝̹̽͊̄̿͐͆̄̀̚ͅ ̴̩̪̹͖̰̝̠͙̰̈́̑͌̈́͒̿̕͘ͅţ̵̗̯̲̿̾̂̕͜͜h̷̛̯̻̻͚͕͓̿̆̏̋̃͝͠i̷̞̠̗̜̒͆̊͜ͅs̶̝̼̖̰̠͔͖͙͂̉ͅ ̶͇̹̰̩̮͚̓̈f̴̨̨̨̮̪̖̳͙̖̯̈́̿̽ą̶̛͍͙͔̻͕̙̟̩̙̅̃̂̒͐̓͐̅̚r̶̬̥̯̱̝̤͈͙̠͋̓̂͌̒̽̒̄]

 

 

Each message was much more chaotic than the last, making it more difficult to read each one but as Gavin's eyes scanned over them a few times, the writing finally sinking in, the detective almost dropped his coffee cup right there & then as the weight of the world got lighter for a split second before it all came crashing down on his shoulders, enough to crush the man like an ant under a boot.

"Nines" Gavin whispered under his breath, it only being audible to Connor thanks to his upgraded hearing. Reed shoved his phone in Connor's face, his eyes wide once more. "I guess I'll eat my own words, this is Nines! It _has_ to be!" He waited as Connor's eyes scanned the phone screen again before he jammed it into the pocket of Nines' coat that he still wore each day, sometimes over the top of his own red leather jacket, not wasting any seconds in striding to his desk to grab his car keys, Connor following in toe as Gavin spoke with that same guilt-riddled mutter. "Those texts sounded pretty fuckin' desperate to me, if we don't go now, who knows if we'll find him alive, Connor. I'm going whether you tag along or not, ya hear me? He thanked me for getting him _'this far'!_ That might as well be a fuckin' suicide note!"

"Detective... We need backup-"

Gavin threw a glare at Connor, muttering "fuck backup" under his breath. Connor glared back all the while sending a silent transmission to Lieutenant Anderson's computer to explain the situation so his partner would be able to get backup together without Gavin's knowledge. "Fine. But I'm coming with you." Connor spoke in a firm voice, signalling to the detective that this wasn't a matter in which he got to protest. Reed simply nodded & made his way to his car, choosing not to argue as he knew full & well that having Connor there would be better than going alone. Connor followed, throwing a glance to Hank to be sure the man got his message, the pair exchanging a nod & a smile before he made his way over to Gavin & out to his car where the detective pulled his phone back out of his pocket, throwing it at the android who in turn, caught it flawlessly.

Connor knew exactly what Gavin wanted him to do as he got himself situated in the passenger side of the car, yet Gavin felt the need to specify anyway as he started the engine. "Use that supercomputer brain of yours & track the messages. Be my Over Glorified SatNav-" Gavin glanced towards the android beside him to see if his words pulled a reaction but they only caused Connor to roll his eyes before he chose to focus on the phone instead, muttering, "For somebody who relies on my help, you sure do like to push your luck, don't you, Detective?" At that, Gavin snickered quietly, mentioning that Connor's reactions were much more tame than his brothers as he began to drive in the direction that Connor had given him, his car never slowing to anything less than 30MPH.

After a short silence, Connor decided to pipe up with a gentle tone. "Y'know, the last time you took an RK brother in your car to a mysterious location with no backup; you got yourself stabbed with a shard of glass about the size of my forearm that left you debilitated for little over a week & left said brother traumatised. Do you ever learn from your mistakes, Detective?" Connor shot Gavin a soft smirk, his eyes still warm to show that there was no bite to his words, simply trying to lighten the tension in the air with humour that only Gavin would appreciate. The detective shook his head in response, a breathy chuckle escaping his lips. "Bold of you to assume I consider them mistakes, Tin Can." He threw a glance to Connor as he spoke to which the android simply smiled despite the derogatory nickname, understanding that Gavin cares for Nines in more ways than he chooses to state out loud.

 

The drive was slow despite Gavin's excessive speeding, it taking the pair nearly an hour to find the warehouse in which the texts were traced back to. Connor had tried reassuring the detective that his directions were correct & that they were taking the quickest route but that didn't stop Gavin from snapping at Connor from time to time due to the stress he was putting upon himself. Connor didn't expect anything less & simply ignored each remark that was made, understanding that the detective needed to let out some of his stress one way or another. He could tell that Gavin was afraid but chose to channel that fright & anxiety as anger instead. An unhealthy coping mechanism but it was definitely an upgrade from just completely breaking down.

The pair finally pulled up a safe distance away from the warehouse, Gavin practically falling out of his car as he rushed around to the boot, opening it as Connor followed, pulling out two bulletproof vests, holding one out to Connor who in turn, blinked a few times with an almost confused look washing across his features. Gavin rolled his eyes as he caught onto the look that the android was giving him, shoving the vest against Connor's chest so he could take it.

"Look, I don't wanna hear it. Terminator or not, you ain't invincible. I've just had a sense of Deja Vu, you have the same confused look that your dumbass brother did when I handed him a gun. I'll tell ya the same as what I told him; if you're gonna be my backup, you need to be able to watch my ass properly & you can't exactly do that if you're riddled with bullets now, can you? Besides... Hank will kill me if I damage his favourite toy-" Gavin winked & Connor's eyebrows furrowed together at the possibly lewd comment but he chose to put the vest on anyway while Gavin worked on putting on his own kevlar beneath Nines' coat. As the pair got themselves geared up, Gavin mumbled softly, "Listen, it doesn't matter what colour you bleed, I'm not having a member of the DPD die on me.. Nines is depending on us." 

Gavin nodded after finishing his sentence, trying to brush off his genuine concern for Connor's safety as nothing more than him focusing on getting his partner back. With that, the detective shut the boot as quietly as he could, checking the clip of his gun before nodding to Connor, silently yet swiftly making his way towards the entrance to the warehouse with his gun in hand, Connor following suite with silent footfalls.

The pair exchanged a few glances as they wordlessly plotted their strategy before nodding to one another one last time, Gavin using his fingers to count to three. On three, Connor used his shoulder to break open the door with ease, it swinging open, hitting the pair with a bitter cold draft that must have been trapped inside along with what they could only hope to be an alive Nines. In the moment, Gavin was grateful that Nines was an android because no human would be able to survive such freezing temperatures alone & injured but Nines was different. He was a survivor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DBH: Gavin tries to kill Connor & hates his guts  
> Me: I know, I'll make them get along-


	16. No Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin thought that he had constructed every possible scenario in his head on how he would find or save Nines. Yet none of them could prepare the detective for the decisions he has to make to save his partner's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry in advance...
> 
> Chapter title: No Control - Brand New

There were many ways in which Gavin had imagined this moment to happen over the course of the past nine days. He had imagined everything from the gruesome outcomes to the heartwarming ones. Sometimes, he pictured finding Nines but being too late, him already having been tortured & killed just like the other androids their serial killer had got his filthy hands on. He pictured his partner damaged beyond repair, covered in his own thirium, frightened & lonely. Dying in the cold with nobody to keep him company. The thought made something in Gavin's chest ache in ways he didn't think were possible.

Other times, he conjured up imaginary scenes where he broke down the door, ran to Nines' side, maybe punch him for getting himself into such a dangerous situation but then throw kisses at him because fuck, he just wanted to see that stupidly perfect face again & look into those stupidly perfect eyes. He thought about playing hero, throwing a delicate Nines over his shoulder, despite the height difference & storming out of the wretched place. Or rushing to shield Nines as they went out in a rain of bullets but at least they were together. Almost every possible scenario ran a course through the detective's mind each day he went without his partner, keeping him up at night, haunting his nightmares & his daydreams. Yet, despite the hundreds of end results that plagued his over active imagination, when that warehouse door swung open, nothing could have prepared the detective for the sight that lay before him & Connor.

The warehouse was empty. Or at least, it looked that way from where they stood in the doorway. Gavin threw a puzzled glare at his companion as he whispered as softly as possible despite his rough voice. "Are you sure this is the place?" He knew that he could be almost completely silent with his words because of Connor's creepily immaculate hearing. The android simply nodded in response with confidence to which Gavin also nodded, beginning to make his way slowly into the dull warehouse, Connor following behind; watching the detective's back as he scanned the surroundings to be sure nothing could harm his human companion. 

Connor had chosen not to carry a firearm when Gavin had offered during their drive to the abandoned building. He convinced Gavin that if it genuinely came to it, he'd simply use Gavin's weapon. He had explained that his abilities to incapacitate a suspect were much more polished than Nines', despite Nines being the upgraded model, Connor had actually had first hand experience with dropping criminals, having more encounters with humans & their erratic behaviours than Nines likely ever will. Although, Gavin did have to disagree with Connor's remark about Nines' abilities & chose to shamefully point out the amount of times that Nines had 'flawlessly dropped him on his ass'.

The pair cautiously made their way around the warehouse, being sure to watch their footing on the uneven floorboards, all the while sticking to the shadows as to not be seen incase the attacker was still there but the likelihood of that seemed to be strangely rather low. They worked in unison, perfectly clearing meter by square meter until the first, large room of the warehouse was definitely clear besides the odd rat. The duo were about to head through a thick metal double door until Connor threw up a hand to pause Gavin in his tracks as the android crouched near the metal doors, swiping his finger across the floor & drawing it close to his mouth.

Despite the darkness of the warehouse, the only light seeping through being from the cracks in the boarded up windows, Gavin knew that Connor was about to pull the mildly disturbing stunt that Nines did back at their first crime scene together. He rolled his eyes, choosing to look away as Connor's fingers met with his tongue. He felt almost awkward watching considering how he had stared at this android's younger brother as he did the exact same thing. Although, he didn't exactly find it very attractive to see Connor's fingers in his mouth whereas Nines knew exactly what he was doing, he knew it would make Gavin squirm in his skin which is why he had kept such intense eye contact as he did it. Connor simply wanted to find out if this was Nines' thirium or not. No flirtatious undertones with this brother. Thank God for that, Gavin thought to himself yet he couldn't help the tiny smile that fell onto his lips at the thought of Nines acting in such ways simply to pull a reaction from his partner. They were so similar in that sense.

Connor glanced up at Gavin, nodding once he stood up & used his clean hand to tap over the RK800 printed on the chest of his blazer that he wore to work to signal that this was indeed Nines' thirium. Connor didn't wear his Cyberlife branded blazer that he used to, but he did wear a variety of grey or blue blazers to work that all had an 'RK800' & a small blue triangle tailored onto either side of the chest to show that he was in fact an android. Gavin assumed it was something about even though the revolution worked out in favour of the androids, there were still policies that involved androids who worked for the DPD having to show that they were in fact android officers rather than human. Again, this made the detective think of his partner & despite deviating, still chose to show off his enemies flag as a form of rubbing it in their faces unlike Connor who chose to avoid the Cyberlife brand completely. 

Gavin snapped out of his momentary thoughts as Connor gently nudged his shoulder to be sure he was ready as the android pushed open one of the heavy metal doors that led to an eerily dark, stone staircase which Gavin presumed led to some form of basement. Reed patted his chest as if to double check that his bulletproof vest was still in place as he stepped in front of Connor, gun held firmly in front of him as he began to make his way down the stairs with hesitant footfalls, the air felt thick, smelling of cinder, oil & dampness. The mixture of smells was rather unpleasant, burning the detective's nostrils & it was just another moment in which Gavin was grateful that Nines was an android because no human could handle that smell for more than a day, let alone nine.

Connor followed close behind Reed, constantly scanning the surroundings all the while silently communicating with the backup he had orchestrated without Gavin knowing to tell them exactly what was going on & where he was in the building incase they had to get to him immediately. Backup were at the ready to storm the fort if needed but Connor had made it very clear for them to stay put while he & Gavin work their way around the rustic building.

Once again, the pair meticulously made their way around the freezing sub-levels of the warehouse, Gavin now holding his flash light beside his gun for a better view on things considering there wasn't a lot of light, enough to see but not enough to see into the shadows where anything could be hiding so the flashlight definitely helped put his mind at ease a little. When things seemed to be going exactly as they did on the to floor, Gavin whispered that he felt it was okay for them to split apart but only by a few feet so if need be, they still had each other's backs but it did mean they would cover more ground if they were to separate & with how bitterly cold the basement was; the quicker they could get out of there, the better. 

As Connor checked each dark corner of the room, looking for clues or evidence to help find their killer, Gavin worked on following the thirium trail along the floor. The gut wrenching thought had occurred to the detective that if the thirium was still there then that meant that Nines would have to have been injured a short while ago considering he had learnt that thirium evaporates after just a few hours & becomes invisible to the human eye. But if he could see it, that meant that Nines had recently been hurt. Once again, it felt like the weight on his shoulders had been lifted for merely a second before it all came crashing down again. It being lifted for those few fleeting moments because it meant that Nines was likely still in the warehouse but then the weight on his shoulders became crushingly heavy at the thought of his partner being injured.

Gavin wanted to scream in frustration at the crippling weight he was carrying, his shoulders were so heavy that his collarbones were beginning to crack. The detective gulped back any emotion that dared try to creep its way out of the bottle in which they were usually secured in as he focused on following the thirium trail, putting his flashlight away considering Connor seemed to have to dark corners covered, keeping his gun in hand however.

 

Despite all of the morbid scenarios that had waltzed their way through the detective's mind relentlessly, nine solid days of nothing but torturous images infesting themselves behind his eyes, the sight before his eyes was possibly worse than anything he could have imagined.

There was Nines. He was slumped against a work bench with his left arm twisted awkwardly behind his head, handcuffed to the work bench his back was leaning against. His head was resting against the poorly positioned left arm, eyes shut with no creases in his features despite blue blood staining where his LED would usually be. Gavin couldn't help but think Nines' face looked strangely peaceful which made his stomach do somersaults as if it were the Olympics. The android had one leg straight out, the other bent at the knee, still wearing his black jeans & work shoes but was missing his iconic turtleneck, revealing his torso which was a sight that would never be leaving Gavin's mind anytime soon but for all the wrong reasons. His stomach & chest were drenched in thirium, a gaping hole in the android's sternum which made the detective want to throw up in his mouth until he let his eyes drift to Nines' free hand. His fingers were open slightly revealing that he was barely gripping his own thirium pump regulator.

Gavin's body reacted before his mind could process just like it always did & before he knew it, he was on his knees beside his partner. He pried the regulator out of Nines' grasp, looking at it with confusion for half a second before trying to push it back into Nines' chest where it rightfully belonged, having a little trouble in making it stay. "Connor? Connor?! Get your plastic ass here right now!" Gavin's voice was raspy as he fought with himself to keep his emotions in check. He had managed to channel everything into anger up until this point but seeing Nines again was too much & he knew that it was only a matter of time before those flood gates opened. 

As Connor rushed to the scene, he wasted no time in scanning his brother's vitals, crouching the opposite side of Nines to where Gavin is situated to check the thirium pump that the detective was attempting to hold in place in the android's chest. 

"Detective... His regulator is damaged, like he had struggled with himself as he attempted to pry it from his own chest. If you don't hold it perfectly in place, he's still going to completely shut down within a minute or so-" Connor's voice came out quiet & laced with nervousness as he watched the scene unfold before his eyes. He knew that breakdown that Gavin had been holding off was coming like a tsunami, just waiting to strike. 

 

There was a ghostly silence for a few moments after the words left his mouth that was abruptly broken by the familiar sound of the safety being clicked off of a gun to which Connor's eyes widened as he stared at the detective opposite him.

Gavin had his gun pointed directly at Connor's head with one hand, the barrel barely a few inches away, his other hand still trying to hold Nines' thirium pump in his chest to buy him some time. Tears began to flow down Gavin's cheeks, that tsunami crashing through what was left of Gavin's control. "I can't lose him, Connor. I can't do it." His deep, lost green eyes stared desperately into Connor's worried brown ones.

The detective blinked a few times as he tried to will the tears to stop but they were just as stubborn as the man in which they fell from. He knew this was a situation that he wouldn't be able to pull himself back from but he had come too far to lose Nines now. Gavin's finger slowly moved to hover over the trigger, Connor still frozen in place as he eyed the detectives actions. Being a negotiator was Connor's favourite part of his job, that was until it came to this situation; the case where the person he was trying to talk down happened to be one of the most obstinate people he knew.

He knew that Gavin had changed since the last time he had his gun trained on him but the android also knew that the detective would do anything for his partner, even if that meant killing his partner's brother. "You helped me find him, Con, you're gonna help me save him. _Please._ " The words lingered heavy in the air between the two men & the android could hear the plea's that littered the man's words, Gavin never used nicknames with Connor so the android could tell that he truly was as desperate as his actions showed. They kept eye contact & Connor knew that somehow, there was no talking his way out of his one.

Connor drew in a deep, unnecessary breath as he nodded, completely understanding what Gavin wanted him to do as he began to unbutton his dress shirt with his nimble fingers, stopping once he got to his sternum, his eyes still focused on Reed's. "Detective, we can find ano-" The android was cut off before he had the chance to finish by Gavin's broken, raspy & heartache filled tone. "Don't. I'm not letting him die on me & if you don't give me your regulator, I'll take it from you myself after I pull this trigger. I'm so sorry, but I can't lose him. Not now. Please, Connor. I promise I'll try to save you somehow if you hand it over, but I _have_ to save Nines... _Please._ " There were those desperate pleads again which stung Connor as he listened, he could tell that Gavin didn't want to do this but he felt like it was his obligation to save Nines' life no matter what it took.

For a moment, he stared into the barrel of the gun, watching as Gavin's hands shook with what was obviously fear as he thought about what his brother would think when he finds out what length the detective was willing to go to save his life. Connor's eyes fluttered for barely a second, not enough for Gavin to notice with tears blurring his vision slightly. Then, the android shut his eyes properly, his LED cycling from yellow to red as he carefully pulled out his thirium pump regulator, holding it out to the detective as he slumped down beside his brother's body, staring at the tragedy of a man that knelt before him, eyes filled with trepidation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...pls dont punch me <3


	17. Fear Of The Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pushing his luck to get a physical reaction just like always, Gavin is finally reunited with his One Good Thing but finds himself in a pool of emotions & doesn't quite know what to do with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the longest chapter yet! I hope you enjoy it & that the end makes up for the end of the last chapter?  
> Chapter title: Fear Of The Water - SYML

Many moments in Detective Reed's life, deep grey storm clouds brewed in his mind & soul, reminding him that he definitely fucked it all up this time. Usually it was just drizzle after a bar fight or a particularly rowdy argument because he simply couldn't keep his mouth shut, but in comparison to this, that was merely just a bit of rain. This was so much more, this was a tragedy in it's rawest form. This was a hurricane.

It felt like time was passing a mile a minute before Gavin's eyes when in reality, barely a few seconds passed. The detective scrabbled to switch out the thirium pump regulators, he carefully pushed Connor's regulator into the gaping hole in Nines' sternum. He knew it wouldn't be able to hold forever due to it being an 800 regulator rather than a 900 one but at least it was an RK one so it wasn't a total travesty. Once the thirium pump was in place & the detective could hear it whirring; overworking itself to try & regulate the android it was now stationed in, he stuck to his word & swiftly placed the damaged regulator into Connor's chest, maneuvering Connor's hand & placing it over his sternum to hold the thirium pump in place the best he could, trying to hold it at the perfect angle so it would at least work until they could get a new one & neither android would completely shut down at Gavin's hand. It made sense for Connor to have the damaged regulator because he was still conscious meaning he wold be able to tell what angle to hold the pump to stop the shutdown countdown whereas Nines wouldn't know if he was going to die because he was in the android equivalent of knocked out cold.

Connor blinked a few times as he stared up at Gavin with those deep brown eyes, filled with such care & kindness despite being on the verge of a shut down, that countdown only being held off at an arms length by him desperately pressing his palm into his sternum, trying to hold the regulator at just the right angle so the numbers behind his eyes would stop descending. Gavin didn't know what else to do besides constantly flick his eyes between the brothers, trying to be sure that not only did Connor have attention incase he began to lose the android equivalent of consciousness but that Nines had his attention too for when he woke up.

The waves upon waves of guilt that washed over Gavin as he stared at the two completely helpless androids before him were enough to drown him & yet again, he found himself at a war with those hands that were trying to pull him into the undercurrent. Maybe it would have been better if he would have just pulled the damn trigger when he had the chance back at his kitchen table on that particularly dark night, at least then he wouldn't have taken both of the smartest prototype androids down with him. Yeah, he was definitely not only going to hell for this but was definitely going to lose his jo-

His thoughts were completely cut off at the sound of heavy boots on the warehouse floorboards on the floor above him. The detective's eyes widened & he grabbed his gun that he had momentarily dropped to the floor while trying to play doctor with the RK brothers. Connor's free hand that wasn't pressed against his sternum came up to gently press on Gavin's wrist so he would lower his gun & managed to splutter out quietly in his usual soft tone, "One of us had the sense to call backup, Detective, maybe they can save my life because you, are an awful doctor-" Connor winked & flashed the smaller man his bright white teeth in an awkward, lopsided smile, finding himself even when on the verge of a shut down; trying to keep the detective's head on straight before he completely loses it to the storm clouds that he could tell were suffocating him. Gavin let out a weak, breathy chuckle in response & simply shook his head, clicking the safety back on.

He didn't have much time to react when two strong hands hoisted him up by his elbows, spinning him around & shoving him so his back smacked hard enough against one of the pillars to wind him. Gavin's chest heaved heavily as he tried to catch his breath as his eyes darted to the two androids he had been pulled away from but calmed slightly as he saw a few technicians rush to the scene which meant he could now focus his attention on the man who had him pinned against the pillar with one firm hand on his shoulder. Lieutenant Anderson.

"What the fuck did you do, Reed?!" Anderson spat as his hand gripped the detective's shoulder tighter, hard enough to leave bruises. "You hold my fucking partner at gun point & force him to take out the _ONE_ thing that's keeping him alive so he can try to fix _your_ mistakes?!" The older man prodded a finger into Gavin's sternum as he put emphasis on the 'your', causing Gavin to cringe slightly. Usually in a situation like this, he'd have thrown a punch simply for Anderson laying a finger on him, he'd have answered with violence before using his voice because that's just how his brain worked yet here he was, silent as Hank berated him for mistakes that could have easily been avoided if he would have just pulled his head out of his ass for 5 minutes to see that something was wrong. 

_'Yeah, well it ain't like there isn't a bank of Connors hiding somewhere amongst the skeletons in Cyberlife's closets. There are probably more RK800 models, you could just get a new one but they destroyed all of the RK900 units. I only get **one** chance with Nines. I'm not losing him & I'll do it all again if I had to if it mean't saving Nines' life. I need him. It's my fault he's here in the first place.'  _

Every possible response to his Lieutenant's words ran through his mind. He wanted to shout about how he was sure he was dead & forced to walk amongst the living as a ghost the whole time that Nines was gone but for one fleeting moment when he saw his partner again, he felt like he had been resuscitated. That was until he realised his one good thing had tried to shut himself down. So obviously, he made the only choice he thought he had & tried to save Nines' life no matter what it took. Yes, he was selfish but that was common knowledge. He had so much that he wanted to say to the man who was still shouting in his face over his stupid decisions yet when he opened his mouth to speak, all that came out was a pathetic: "I need him." 

Lieutenant Anderson looked as if he were about to blow up, to say something about him needing Connor just as much as Gavin needed Nines but before he had the chance to get a word out, what could only be described as a mechanical whimper sliced through the air between the two men & Gavin knew exactly where that sound had come from, he could recognize that mechanical tone from a mile away & it made his chest ache with that pain that he didn't know he could feel. He was sure that Hank was close enough to have heard as his heart shatter.

All it took was Nines sounds of peril for Gavin to find his voice that he seemed to have been having trouble with over the past few moments. "Hey! Get away from him!" Gavin began to shove to try & get around Hank who in turn, grabbed both of Gavin's arms to pull him back as the technician continued his work on Nines' chest after managing to get the android's hand free from the handcuff that had him attached to the workbench he was propped up against.

"Reed, calm down, he's just trying to help patch up his wounds so they can self heal properly.. Calm down, Kid." Hank's words came out softer this time around considering he had just been shouting in Reed's face but he could tell that desperation & worry had consumed the detective. Gavin didn't let up his thrashing however, yanking at his arms as he tried to pry himself free from his superior's iron grasp. The thrashing only getting more intense as another mechanical sound escaped the android's throat, head still resting back against the workbench with eyes still shut. He was probably just about to wake up from whatever stasis his body had gone into when he ripped his thirium pump out but Gavin could tell something wasn't right. 

"Stop! Let me go, can't you see there's something wrong?! Let. Me. Go. He's in _pain!"_ The last word that fell out of Reed's mouth was drenched with panic & came out rather shaky. Anderson let go of one of the detective's arms, a little taken aback by Gavin's words. Androids didn't feel pain. Simply discomfort to an unpleasant situation but not pain. Out of everybody who knew that, he thought Gavin would be the one to claim they feel nothing at all, not the opposite. The detective managed to rip his other arm free from the Lieutenant's grip & practically fell on top of Nines' body as he lost his footing. Choosing to gracelessly shove the technician out of the way as he fell onto his knees in front of his partner, instantly shrugging his shoulders to get his coat off so he could carefully drape it around the shoulders of it's rightful owner.

Hank helped the technician to his feet & made sure to order everybody to give the two men on the floor some space & to focus on saving Connor's life while Gavin was with Nines. Despite the lieutenant wanting nothing more than to be by Connor's side as he was worked on by technicians trying desperately to get the thirium pump working properly without needing to be held in position, he had to make sure that Gavin didn't do something stupid. So instead of being with his own partner; he simply took a step back & watched the scene unfold before his eyes.

"C'mon, Nines, c'mon, you bastard. Wake the fuck up, please. _Please-_ " Gavin was leaning over his partner, one hand on Nines' shoulder, the other gently tapping his face to try to get those ocean eyes to flutter open. His voice had it's usual raspy tone but much to Anderson's surprise; it was soft yet pleading. Despite his colourful vocabulary, Gavin was speaking softly & quietly rather than being his usual angry self but the Lieutenant knew that wouldn't last long. Not with Gavin's short temper.

The detective's eyebrows were pulled tightly together to deepen that ever present crease between them as he pushed Nines' hair off of his forehead. "If you don't wake up, I swear I'll kill you. C'mon, Nines. Don't do this to me-" The softness in his tone was beginning to be replaced with desperation as he tapped Nines' face again before gently shaking his shoulder. "Wake. Up!"

Gavin fell back onto his heels after shoving Nines shoulder with little to no force. The dam behind his eyes beginning to crack. He stared at the motionless android for a few moments as he contemplated his next move, allowing his eyes to glance the android up & down. Those mechanical sounds that had left his throat sounding like nothing Gavin had ever heard before. Like Nines was frightened. In pain. If that's what it was going to take to get a reaction, then so be it. The detective drew in a deep breath as he chose to do what he does best. _Push his luck._  

He knew that getting into Nines personal space got a reaction & if he wanted to be too stubborn to wake up then Reed was going to pry a reaction out of him. The softness in Gavin's demeanor & voice had slowly dissipated & was replaced with his usual passive aggressive annoyance but still with that desperation thrown into the mix. Gavin slowly stretched a hand out to tap on Nines' jugular a few times, knowing that out of all the spaces the android would absolutely _hate_ to be touched, it would be there. His gut instinct told him that with the lack of voice, it was probably a rather sensitive spot on the android. He wasn't sure if he really understood what he was trying to achieve but he figured he might as well try. His fingers tapped on Nines' throat again as he muttered through his clenched jaw, "Wake the fuck up, Tin Can. I know you can hear me. What, you just gonna give up now, huh? Just like that? You still owe me for calling you a kil-" 

The detective's words were completely cut off as Nines' eyes flew open, those deep, menacingly cold irises being revealed & staring right into Gavin's soul, one of those heartbreaking mechanical whimpers escaping his lips. Before the man could react, Nines began to shake his head, awkwardly kicking his legs as he tried to push himself further back against the work bench as if he were trying to get away from his human partner to which Gavin frowned & chose to shuffle forward slowly, holding both of his hands up to show he wasn't going to try anything to harm the android. "Fuck, don't scare me like that, Dipshit! I thought you were-" Once again, the detective was completely cut off but this time it was due to a hand flying up & gripping tightly around his neck & in one swift movement, Gavin was now the one who's back was against the work bench, Nines sitting on his lap to pin him place, knees either side of Gavin's thighs/hips, his grip tightening around Gavin's neck which caused the detective's hands to come up to grip at Nines' wrist, his nails digging into the synthetic flesh as he tried desperately to suck in any breath he could, his face slowly turning a shade of red.

The detective stared into those frosty, aloof eyes that were glaring right at him. This wasn't _his_ Nines. This was the killer that was coded into him, this was the Nines that had put him on the ground of Captain Fowler's office on their first encounter. Where had those pools of emotions gone that once sat in those eyes he adored so much? Evaporated over the course of the nine days that he was stuck down here alone, most likely. The detective managed to just barely shake his head at Hank who was about to intervene, knowing full & well that he could handle the situation & if he couldn't? Then so be it. Dying by Nines' hand seemed to be something he didn't exactly mind the thought of. Especially considering he deserved it after taking so long to find the android. Besides, he always knew that Nines was going to be the death of him, whether that be poetically or literally. Either was on the table.

Somehow, the detective's mind was completely blank. When he had thought about saving Nines, he had so many things he wanted to say to the fucker but now, with Nines' hand firmly wrapped around his throat, slowly tightening his grip with each passing second, he found that his mind was like an empty room, vacant of the demons that were once calling it home. He didn't know what to do in the moment besides dig his fingers into Nines' wrist as he tried to get the android to loosen his grip, thirium beginning to dampen his fingertips as he stared into Nines' dark, emotionless eyes. As the thirium began to coat his fingers, he could have sworn he saw Nines wince but that was difficult to tell when his vision was beginning to go a little blurry.

Nines' voice was mechanical, raspy & rather scary but above all, it was broken just like Gavin's heart as the garbled, muffled words began to fall from the android's mouth on repeat, barely above a whisper. "Y-you're not real, y̵o̵u̶'̴r̵e̸ ̶n̷o̷t̴ ̸r̵e̶a̶l̶.̵..Y-you left me. _Again!_ L-leave....̷̛̹L̷̝̓e̴͙̔a̵̧͆v̷͖͘ê̶̗ ̷̟͛m̴̡̈́ḛ̸͠ ̸̠͘a̷̩͛-̵̞͐a̵̫͆l̸̠͛o̵̯̒n̸͉̓e̵̱ "

It was quite difficult to actually comprehend the words considering how absolutely distorted they sounded in some parts of the broken sentence but Gavin caught onto most of it, swallowing thickly from behind the hand that was still gripping his throat, definitely leaving deep bruises in it's wake. He wasn't entirely sure what Nines was talking about when he said he wasn't real, that didn't make sense but he assumed that something more must have happened over the past nine days that he just didn't know yet that was causing his partner to act so erratically. But, he chose do the only thing he could think of in the moment & dig his fingers into Nines' wrist harder which in turn, made Nines' grip loosen the tiniest amount before Gavin slowly moved one of his hands away to hold it up between their faces, the thirium trickling down his fingers, leaving little rivers of blue along his hand as he attempted to speak through his closing throat. 

"C'mon, Nines...I-I couldn't do that-" He had to pause for a moment to try & swallow again in the hopes it'd help his next few words find their way out. "-Couldn't do that i-if I wasn't r-real..." The detective kept his blue stained hand up between the two as tears began to slowly fall from the corners of his eyes, the lack of oxygen causing his lungs to burn in his chest, the pain creeping along his ribs & sternum. His head was spinning & knew for a fact that if Nines didn't let up soon, he'd pass out right there. Not like he cared for his own well-being in the slightest but he just wanted to make sure Nines was okay. The android had demons somewhere deep within him, clawing at his biocomponents & Gavin wanted to save him from their grasp before it was too late.

 

After what felt like an eternity, Nines' hand slowly loosened it's grip from around Gavin's neck & the detective immediately began to splutter & choke on the air that he was trying to heave into his lungs quicker than his body could react to. Nines was still on his lap, pinning him place with his strong form but Gavin didn't care, he was just grateful that his lungs could finally stop screaming at him, begging him for air. He continued to suck in heavy, fast paced breaths all the while trying not to choke on those ones too. Despite his best efforts, he almost did start coughing again when two strong, thick arms wrapped themselves around his chest, pinning his own arms at his sides as they tightened around him in what he could only compute as a rib crushing hug. One of the android's hands coming up to bury itself in Gavin's mousy brown hair that sat disheveled against the back of his upper neck.

Nines' head buried against the crook of Gavin's sensitive neck & all the detective could do was sit perfectly still, throwing a glance up to Lieutenant Anderson who was still lingering around to make sure Nines didn't kill Gavin. All Hank could do was shoot Gavin a sad smile until the detective gave him a nod to indicate that Hank could leave to go & check on Connor. Who up until this point, Gavin had completely forgotten about.

Gavin had no clue if the android was even going to make it if they couldn't repair the thirium pump or find a new RK800 one & maybe that guilt would eat him alive, especially when he has to tell Nines what he did, yet he found himself still slightly grateful that he didn't have to shoot the android to get the regulator because lord knows, he would have done it if it mean't saving Nines' life. He would have shot a human for him. With thoughts like that, Gavin knew he was in deep with this particular android but he found that even if he could, he wouldn't pull himself out of it. Nines was important part of his life now whether that terrified him or not. Which, considering he had just been choked half to death by said android, was mildly terrifying.

Gavin sucked in another deep breath, prying one of his arms free so he could gently reach up & run a hand through Nines' soft hair in the hopes it would help sooth the android in the same way that Nines had done when Gavin couldn't sleep that one night in the hospital. He was slightly surprised when it actually worked & the android began to slowly relax, but fuck, he sure was heavy. Gavin knew he was a hunk of metal & wiring but he expected him to be lightweight with the way he carried himself, not the equivalent weight of a computer from the 40's. 

A few minutes of silence passed by before one of Nines' arms slowly loosened it's grip & he dropped his hand to grip Gavin's wrist as his synthetic skin receded to reveal the white framework underneath. Gavin awkwardly shifted slightly to glance down at the android's hand & allowed his brows to knit together as he watched, confused for a moment at what the android was doing before the realisation hit him like a truck. Nines was trying to interface. He didn't want to speak again but wanted to communicate. Gavin let out a soft sigh, realising that Nines' mind may be slightly more scrambled than he had originally suspected & slowly pulled his wrist free from Nines' grasp so he could pull his phone out of the pocket of the coat that the android was wearing.

"You know you can't interface with me, Nines. Just, uh, just do your hack-my-phone thing & use your words there instead." Gavin's voice was soft, gentle & caring in a way that he hadn't heard himself speak in for many years. He smiled sadly at the android that was still in his lap as his phone buzzed after a moment.

[I saw you... ̸̳̃You were g̷o̵i̶n̶g̸ to  ̵k̶i̶l̴l̸ ̵y̴o̸u̶r̶s̵e̵l̷f̸,̴ Detec̴̼̉t̸͌i̷̳͘v̶̪e̴̚.̷̝̿]

Gavin stared at his phone screen for a long few moments, a little concerned at how the texts were still showing up in such a chaotic manner but they were definitely better than they once were & with knowing that Nines was alive, he didn't mind it & would easily be able to look past the chaos if it meant he could talk to his partner again.

[I thought you p̷u̷l̶l̷e̵d̶ ̴t̷h̵e̶ trigg̷e̵r̴]

The detective shook his head quickly & there was that familiar guilt again, bubbling in the pit of his stomach."Nines, I-" It took him a moment to be able to construct a sentence that would make any sense at all, he opened his mouth but closed it again a few times over, probably looking like an idiotic fish. How could he tell his partner that he thought he was dead & it was all his fault so he tried to end it all? Gavin just blinked a few times as he stared into those dark, stormy eyes that he so badly wanted to drown himself in. 

He gently put his phone down on the floor beside him so he could place a thirium stained hand on Nines' cheek, the android flinched which caused Gavin to go to pull away until he felt Nines lean into the touch immediately after so he decided to keep his hand in place as he spoke just barely above a whisper. "Look, Nines. I can't expect you to forgive me for anything that I've done or said & I can't even begin to explain how sorry I am for trying to leave you behind like that but I guess you tried to do the same to me, huh?" Gavin smiled weakly as he used his other hand to tap over where the thirium pump sat in his sternum, frowning as he felt the android tense beneath his touch. He felt the guilt rising in his stomach again but swallowed it down as he leaned closer to Nines' face, gently resting their foreheads together.

"I don't know what the hell you had to go through down here but I swear I spent so long trying to find you, I searched everywhere I could. I thought I'd lost you for good, Nines. I couldn't handle that-" He shut his eyes in a poor attempt to keep the tears that were threatening to fall at bay. "-But...I'm here. I'm real & I swear I will never leave your side again. Not until you strictly tell me to walk away, y'hear me?" Gavin slowly opened his eyes again so he could look at Nines as he gently reached a hand up to place it over Gavin's that was resting on his face. The android nodded slowly, his features still void of any emotion but in those deep grey eyes, the detective could see the ice beginning to melt away once more, forming oceans behind them. So full of uncertainty & danger but so full of life & oh how he wanted them to consume him, to drown him.

So that's exactly what he let them do. The detective drew in a deep, unsteady filled breath as if he were about to dive into those oceans of unpredictability, his nerves already attempting to get the better of him but he ignored them & let his body react before his mind did. He slowly pressed his lips to Nines' as his eyes fluttered shut to allow himself to _feel_ it, a moment he had thought about on more than one occasion & wondered if Nines had ever thought about it too. Gavin allowed his body to relax when he felt the kiss be reciprocated, fighting with his body as he tried to not smile into the kiss too much. Nines' lips were surprisingly soft & gentle considering they sat upon such a chiseled, unsympathetic face, the kiss being caring if not a little inexperienced but Gavin didn't care.

For one fleeting moment, everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'mon, Ally, 17 chapters in & they only just kiss? Talk about taking the s l o w b u r n to the next level, damn.  
> This chapter has to be the one with the most metaphors in it bc ya girl loves to be poetic but most of the metaphors have lots of talk of some form of body of water, figured I'd point that out. Take it as you will.  
> I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter! Mwah.


	18. I Don't Wanna Be In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The detective has a gut feeling that something isn't quite right with his partner but learns what's wrong from the most unlikely source.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter so many times bc I just couldn't word it properly but I hope this is okay!
> 
> Chapter title: I Don't Wanna Be In Love - Dark Waves

Nines was the first to pull away which meant that the one fleeting moment where everything felt okay had been washed away which upset Gavin more than he expected it to. It was time to face reality. Reality being that they were still situated in the sadist basement & Maxim could come back at any moment. It was below freezing, Nines as still in his lap & seemed rather, for lack of better words, delicate & lost. Gavin had kissed him right after the android had tried to choke him to death while thinking he wasn't real. Nines was in a vulnerable state & Gavin was starting to think that he may have taken advantage of that. Not to mention, not too long before that sequence of events; he had held Nines' brother at gun point & was about to kill him & he still had yet to tell his partner that...Reality wasn't looking all that promising for the detective. The kiss was his slither of sunshine in amongst the stormy skies that he had accustomed to & just like that, it was over.

Like diamonds meeting emeralds; Nines was staring right into Gavin's eyes, his face stoic without so much as a glint of happiness in his eyes. It made the detective's brows furrow together as the nerves he had pushed aside before the kiss began to swim around in his stomach once more. He half expected his phone to buzz & to see that Nines had told him to politely back the fuck up before he chokes him again but this time doesn't let go. However, there was no text. No movement. Nothing. Nines was just sitting there, watching the detective's every move & he could feel his cheeks beginning to burn up at the scrutiny.

"Uh, I, um, sorry...?" Gavin muttered out softly under his breath as he diverted his eyes, tumbling over his words while unsure on what to say to the android sitting in his lap. "I, uh, would you stop staring? You're making me think you're gonna try & kill me again-" As his words left his mouth, the detective instinctively used one of his hands to rub at his neck which was still rather sensitive to the touch. Nines tilted his head slightly as he continued to watch before gently placing a finger under Gavin's chin to tip his head up a little so he could inspect where the purple bruises were beginning to form. The android ghosted his finger along the bruises which pulled an involuntary shudder from the detective beneath him who stayed quiet, letting Nines do as he pleases. After a moment of silence, the android slowly clambered off of Gavin's lap so he could stand himself up, pulling his arms into his coat sleeves properly; up to this point, it having still been simply draped across his shoulders.

Gavin watched the android's actions before slowly standing too, holding his phone in his hand as he did so, looking between Nines & the doorway before speaking about the only thing that he could where his voice wouldn't shake, "Is our killer going to come back here? Or was he aware that you were left for dead? If he's planning on coming back, we can work with that & catch the bastard once & for all before he hurts anybody else. I swear if I get my hands on him, he wo-" Gavin was cut off by his phone buzzing.

[You'll what, Detective? Kil̶l him̶̫̈́?]

[If you get your hands on him, you will prosecute him properly. He will be charged on multiple accounts of murder, kidnapping & assaulting an officer. That's what will happen.]

The detective skimmed his eyes over the texts, choosing to look past where the text frayed before looking up at Nines who seemed to be lost in his own mind, the android staring off into nothing & he knew that if Nines still had his LED, it'd be spinning a dangerous red.

[Yes, he left me for dead, but he'll be back. He alẉ̸̦̋̊a̶y̵̻̓s̵̝̎ comes back for more.]

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Back for 'more'? More what, Nines? What did he do to you, huh?!" The detective's thoughts began swimming with horrifying possibilities on what Nines had been through while he was down here & he just wanted answers before they drowned him. He stepped up to his partner, throwing a hand up to grip the front of Nines' coat & tugging slightly so he had no choice but to look at the smaller man. He knew he was hostile & a short temper wasn't going to get him anywhere but he just had so much anger directed toward the killer, he had nowhere else to project it.

Nines blinked a few times as if almost surprised by the detective's actions, slowly raising a hand to grip Gavin's wrist tightly, enough to force the man to let go, glaring down at him with those familiar frosty eyes. For a moment, Gavin could have sworn that the cold ice in those eyes was thawing away but now he was beginning to second guess himself. Nines' eyes were colder than the basement in which they stood & that scared the hell out of the detective. Something was wrong. The Nines he had come to adore was long gone, back in the hospital he seemed so gentle, all things considered. He'd smile, even if it was for only half a second. He'd bring Gavin coffee & his touch for the most part was quite considerate due to Gavin's injuries. He had a spark in his eyes. But not this Nines. This Nines was cold...machine like. This was the Nines he knew before he was wounded.

Gavin gulped & to his own surprise, decided not to push his luck for once & chose to take a step back so he could phone Lieutenant Anderson to tell his superior to have everyone clear out of the warehouse vicinity. Anderson reluctantly agreed but he could hear it in the detective's voice that he had a plan & knew better than to try & argue with the short tempered man. Not when he was a man on a mission. Gavin Reed was the DPD's best detective, he had a track record for solving every case thrown his way no matter how bleak it may seem & despite being emotionally invested in his one, Anderson knew that the detective wasn't about to let it slip through hid fingers. Before hanging up though, Gavin agreed that if he & Nines aren't back at the precinct either with or without their killer in a few hours then Anderson will be back to storm the fort. 

Gavin's plan was rather simple, or at least he thought it was. If everybody left & made it look like nobody had ever been to the warehouse & using Nines as bait; Maxim would return to likely try to torture Nines some more but Gavin would be waiting in the shadows ready to arrest the fucker in the act. Plain & simple. Maybe his bullheaded instincts were shining through but it didn't exactly seem all that complicated.

 

Once everything fell silent around the pair, Gavin drew in a deep breath, stepping back over to his partner who was now leaning against the workbench as if he hadn't been handcuffed to it for nine days straight. It concerned the detective just how little Nines seemed to be bothered about the whole situation. It was like nothing had happened & he knew that it was all going to come out sooner or later & consume them both, dragging them into an ocean of pain & hurt & there was no telling if they'd be able to keep their heads above the water this time.

There were a thousand things that Gavin wanted to say to his partner. He wanted to ask him about what happened, he wanted to talk about the kiss, he wanted to apologise, he wanted to scream at him, to punch him. If he didn't say something soon, all of his thoughts would consume him & tear him apart but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was;

"Hey, uh, look-" Gavin started, finding himself stumbling around his words yet again like a teenager trying to ask their crush to the prom. He tried to bury the feeling of embarrassment along with the guilt & other demons that were trying to eat him alive as he tapped his finger over the little metal disc that sat on the chain around his neck, waiting for Nines' eyes to look at it before speaking up again.

"That night in my kitchen, the night you saw me with the gun? It was you who pulled me back. Uh, somebody delivered me your LED in a little box...Fucked up, I know, but it showed you needed my help so I shoved my feelings aside to try & find your stupid ass." The detective froze as Nines stood back up to his full height, half expecting to get a punch for his wording but instead, Nines reached a hand out to touch the metal disc before using that same hand to feel over the right side of his head where his LED would usually sit. No emotions were present on his face but Gavin could see that the android had no clue his LED was gone until this moment. 

"Shit...I'm sorry, Nines. I thought you knew it was gone. I couldn't just throw it away, it's part of you, y'know? Besides, I'll superglue it back on if ya really miss it-" He smirked slightly as he nudged his shoulder against his partner's, trying to lighten the mood even just by a little bit.

"So, can we talk about what happened down here because I'm going to go insane if I don't know what happened to you, my mind is coming up with rather unpleasant scenarios & they're freaking me out-" The detective looked up into those deep ocean eyes, glaciers forming inside of them to keep the android's emotions frozen in place. Something happened. Gavin wasn't stupid, he knew that there was something going on in Nines' head that the android wasn't admitting yet. He had been too eerily quiet & calm since he had been found.

[What do you want me to say, Detective? Maxim wanted to find out why androids turn dev̴i̸a̴n̶t̸. He played with my wires & my č̵̳o̸͔͛d̷̪͘e̴̼͠ to find out.]

Gavin stared at his phone screen for a good few moments, sighing when he saw the letters beginning to get a little haywire again. He figured he was probably pressing on nerves that the android wasn't yet ready to face & it was stressing Nines out but he selfishly wanted answers. 

"So, he tortured you then? What do you mean, your code? He could just get into it, just like th-" Nines' hand flew up to cover Gavin's mouth, stopping the detective from finishing his sentence, those piercing eyes glaring at him for a moment before looking up at the ceiling of the basement then back to Gavin. Maxim was here & Nines was signalling that. Gavin silently nodded, understanding & swiftly took Nines' coat once again so it wouldn't be a giveaway that someone had been here, pulling it back on himself as he strode over to the more shadowed side of the room, situating himself cautiously behind one of the pillars but being sure nothing could obstruct his view of his partner who was sitting himself back on the floor beside the workbench where Gavin had found him to begin with, placing his left hand awkwardly behind his head again to make it appear like he was still handcuffed, just the way Maxim had left him.

 

Maxim waltzed into the room in his usual nonchalant manner, that sadistic smirk planting itself on his lips when he saw Nines slumped against the workbench. He ignored the android as he set his laptop up on the table that was situated beside the bench as he spoke with that gruff tone that Nines had wished he'd never have to hear again.

"Well, would ya look at that, huh?! Mister fancy prototype survived after all! I knew you would, you don't go down easy do ya, big guy?" Maxim chewed obnoxiously on some gum between his words as he typed a few things on his laptop before making his way around to stand in front of Nines who in turn, chose to look up at the man with a glower, being sure that his head was blocking the view of his hand so Maxim couldn't see that he wasn't handcuffed. He just needed to wait for the perfect moment. Gavin watched from the shadows, also waiting for that perfect moment.

"Ya know-" Maxim crouched in front of Nines, the smirk on his lips growing progressively more sadistic & smug as he reached a hand out to tap over the regulator in Nines' chest which caused the android to instinctively flinch back a little, pulling a cruel laugh from the man in front of him. "-I thought you were smarter than this, _Nines."_ The way his name fell out of Maxim's mouth, drenched in acid & brutality made both Nines & Gavin cringe. The android had never told Maxim his name because it was personal to him, his partner had made it just for him & he never wanted to hear it fall from the sadistic man's lips.

But, somehow Maxim found out, meaning he was onto them; making Nines react faster than Gavin could. The android strategically kicked a leg out to swipe across Maxim's ankles, causing the man to lose balance & fall onto the floor where Nines grabbed his shoulders, hoisting the man up so they were both standing & spinning him around so Maxim's back was pressed against the android's chest as he wrapped an arm around the killer's chest & shoulders, pinning him against himself which just made Maxim laugh again, slowly clapping his hands in a sinister manner. 

Gavin's hand flew to his holster as he was about to grab his gun so he could have it trained on Maxim but he wasn't quick enough. A hand had already snagged the gun & Gavin felt a familiar cold barrel being pressed against the back of his head, causing him to swallow thickly, his stress levels spiking through the roof as the nerves swimming in his stomach began bubbling in his throat. The mysterious figure behind him roughly shoved him forward into the light with the gun still pressed against his head. Gavin stumbled slightly but managed to steady himself as he held both of his hands up, staring right into Nines' eyes who in turn, was staring back, stoic as always. Nines' lack of emotion was really beginning to piss the detective off but if this was the moment where he was about to die, at least the last thing he got to see would be something of beauty.

Maxim chuckled to himself despite Nines' vice tight grip around him. "Ya might wanna let go of me or else we'll be redecorating this place with a lovely shade of red-" After the words left Maxim's mouth, there was a long silence as if Nines was actually contemplating whether to listen to him or not before he finally chose to let Maxim go & simply allowed Maxim to shove him onto the workbench he had grown familiar with, his eyes never leaving his partners even as Maxim spoke with venom lacing his words.

"I'm so glad we can all be on the same page, how unfortunate it would have been to kill the lovely detective, argh, what's his name again? Care to remind me, Nines?" Maxim's signature smirk returned as a callous look flashed in his eyes, venom still lacing the way he spat out the android's name. Nines' eyebrows actually furrowed slightly at the question, the first reaction Gavin had seen the android make since finding him in this wretched place. Something wasn't right, Gavin had detected that from the moment he saw Nines acting so carelessly about the fact he had just been tortured for nine days. Having worked on a few of the deviant cases during the revolution, the detective had learnt that deviants don't exactly handle trauma very well, they're a lot like humans in that way. Erratic & self destructive. But, Nines just didn't seem phased by anything that had happened. It was like he hadn't deviated at all & that thought made Gavin's stomach do those somersaults again. His thoughts being cut off by that irritating sound known as Maxim's voice.

"Ah, that's right, not only can you not tell me, you don't even know, do ya? You're aware he's your volatile partner but that's about it, huh?" Maxim laughed yet again from where he was situated behind his laptop, not even caring to look at Gavin or Nines. He didn't care what his words did to either of the two men, he was far too busy focusing on his laptop screen, relishing in the fact he could play games with the detective's like they were merely his toys.

Suddenly, the gun pressed against the back of Gavin's head seemed to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience, his legs began to feel like they were going to cripple under his weight. The guilt bubbling in stomach felt less like butterflies & more like butterfly knives. Whatever Maxim had done over the past week & a half, had scrambled Nines' memories, leaving the android with a vacant space in his head & heart where Gavin had once taken up residence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost the end! I think this story will have 20 chapters altogether unless I get carried away, God, I don't want it to end, I hate endings.


	19. Twisted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite everything, Gavin would do anything to save his partner's life, even if it meant swimming in an ocean of guilt & throwing himself into the arms of danger without second guessing himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no clue how long I've been wanting to write this chapter for!!
> 
> Chapter title: Twisted - MISSIO

Gavin's thoughts were swimming around his head like hungry piranhas, ready to chow down on any slither of hope he had left. He had wanted so badly to know what Nines had been through while he was being held captive yet when he asked, he found himself dreading not only the answers but the silence & echos that sat heavy in the air around them once the questions had left his mouth. Usually, Nines' silence was just a given but the detective could _feel_ it in his bones, rattling him to his core that something wasn't right & now he had his answer that he so desperately wanted but so desperately regrets asking about. Nines couldn't remember him. 

It wasn't like Nines didn't know who he was at all because if that were the case, why would he have hugged him after realising he was really there? That was something he'd have to ask about later if they survive. Nines couldn't remember his name, he seemed surprised at Gavin's outburst which was strange because the android was so used to the detective's erratic behaviour by now. Nines' eyes seemed cold & distant. He looked emotionless even after the kiss which Gavin couldn't help but allow that thought to put that familiar ache in his chest. The kiss had meant so much to him, it took all of his courage & yet, Nines didn't feel a damn thing. Maybe it wasn't fair for him to feel so angry about it, it wasn't like it was Nines' fault but he couldn't help it. He wanted so badly for things to be okay yet his one moment of happiness had ended & it felt like it didn't even mater at all. The detective let out a breathy laugh to himself as he thought about the tragedy known as his life. 

His thoughts were cut short as the gun barrel pressed harder against his head when he laughed to himself, reminding him of the situation he was currently stuck in, causing both Maxim & Nines to look at him curiously before Maxim shrugged, turning his eyes back to his computer. What scared Gavin more than anything is that Nines wasn't handcuffed down, he was completely able to get up & fight yet there he was, sitting on the workbench, staring at the detective as he stood awkwardly with a gun pressed to his head. He didn't understand. He knew that Maxim had played with his memories, however the hell that was possible, he thought only Cyberlife had that sort of knowledge & power yet here Nines was, obeying every order as if Maxim had some form of control over him & that thought alone made Gavin's blood boil. Where was his short tempered partner gone? What sat before his eyes was merely a shell of the Nines he once knew.

Maxim didn't look up from his computer as he clicked away at the mouse & the detective watched closely as he saw Nines' eyes widen slightly in what genuinely looked like fear before returning stoic, clearly whatever Maxim was doing, Nines was aware of it & part of Gavin didn't even want to know what was going on inside Nines' mind. He glowered at Maxim as the skinny man stood from his laptop, situating himself in front of Nines, his eyes raking over the android a few times before that smirk found its way back onto his face as his hand reached out, Nines automatically pressing his own hand against his thirium pump regulator as if to hide it, shaking his head as he scowled at Maxim, his eyes narrow & cold. Warning Maxim to keep his hands off of him yet the man didn't seem to be bothered at all. Maybe he was used to Nines' icy looks by now. 

"Now, now. We've talked about this, why do you insist on making things more difficult, huh? Even though I've tried to take your memories of this human away, to take away your deviancy, to turn you back into the obedient android you know you should be, somehow you just keep fighting back. I don't think that's such a smart move considering I know you wanted your emotions gone. I was just helping you out!" Maxim chuckled to himself, gripping Nines' wrist that was connected to the hand that was covering his thirium pump.

If he didn't know any better, Gavin was sure that his brain was exploding in his head. It hurt like hell. It didn't take him being one of the DPD's best detectives to figure out what was happening. It was that feeling again, of all of the tetris blocks falling into line in his mind. That overwhelming crash of realisation that hit harder than a wave against the rocks. That. That's why Nines didn't feel anything, that's why he felt so machine like. It's because technically he was. Not only had Maxim taken away half of his memories of Gavin, he had taken away Nines' memory of his deviancy. 

There were those hands again, wrapping around his ankles, pressing on his shoulders, trying to drag him under. To drown him in the oceans of guilt & pain that were consuming him. This wasn't like drowning in Nines' ocean eyes. No. This was different. This _hurt_. He wanted so desperately to will himself to stop breathing but just as the blood pumped through his veins whether he liked it or not, his lungs would inhale whether it be air or water.

In the movies, they always made it out like drowning was so clear to the people around them. The victim would be flailing their arms, screaming for help & splashing around in the violent currents yet here he was, motionless & silent as water filled his lungs, burning his esophagus. He tried so hard to keep his lungs from inhaling. Voluntary apnea. But he had been holding his breath for far too long now & he couldn't hold it any longer. His head felt like it was exploding, like his brain was on fire & somehow, if he let those hands drag him into the undercurrents, it would stop the pain. There would be a sense of peace. It was twisted, he knew that, yet, it was rather tempting. 

 

The detective watched silently, helpless to do anything to stop the situation, trying to ignore the way his chest was rising & falling more heavily with each breath, the sensation of drowning feeling more & more real with every passing second. He wanted nothing more than to smack Maxim's hands away from his partner & kill the bastard right there but it wasn't like he could do that with a gun pressed to his skull. He couldn't exactly help Nines escape if he had a bullet in his brain. He'd almost made that mistake once already.

"Well, seeing as you really are so stubborn, I got one last choice for ya, 900. Now, how much does our lovely detective mean to you, eh? You fight against your own coding for him. You tied all of your emotions to him. Even as I erased so many parts of your relationship with him, here you are, clinging to the last memories you have like some poor dog looking for his own owner when all that owner did was abandon him. He never came for you! He was going to kill himself & leave you! I took away your emotions yet you're still just a broken machine-" Maxim chuckled at his own words, looking between the two men he had wrapped around his finger. "How much does this man really mean to you, huh? You choose. Your simple machine life or his human one..." 

The click of the safety popping off the gun that was pressed against the back of Gavin's skull cut through Maxim's words & Gavin involuntarily drew in an even deeper breath, breathing in more of that guilt riddled ocean water. He swallowed as if it'd help wash down the bitter taste that the guilt left in his mouth as he rasped out quietly, "I'm sorry, Nines, maybe in another life, eh?" Gavin weakly let out a soft laugh as if somehow he could fool himself into believing the words he was saying. The end was so close yet it wasn't as sweet as he'd once hoped. Now it was sour & bitter. 

The detective was about to squeeze his eyes shut, mentally preparing himself for the abyss that he thought he was so familiar with but the sight before him stopped him. Nines had rasped out a soft, mechanical "No" to Maxim, digging his fingers into his sternum as little mechanical whimpers escaped his throat, each one leaving cracks along Gavin's heart as if it were made of glass. Nines stared at Gavin the whole time as he slowly pulled the regulator out of his chest, his face screwing up in agony, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks & in that moment, Gavin could feel it in his bones; Nines could _feel_ the psychical pain of pulling his own heart out to save his partner's life. Nines was in _pain._  

"Well! Would you look at that, huh? Even with barely any memories of this man, you'd still die for him? How naïve." Maxim laughed, watching the android gripping his regulator in his hand, his chest rising & falling heavily with synthetic breaths. From personal experience, Gavin knew a panic attack when he saw one. Staring into those stupidly perfect, silvery eyes. Silvery grey with soft hues of blue like the sea before the sun gives it that warm green tone. Nines' eyes were the ocean in the middle of the winter, so cold & dangerous & grey but so alluring. 

By this point, Reed knew that his body would react before his mind did, that seemed to be common knowledge & did tend to get him hurt yet there was no way to stop it, it's just who he was. Throwing himself into the arms of danger if it meant keeping those he loved safe & that's exactly what he was going to do. Whether he chose to move or not, Nines was going to shut down & he wasn't about to allow Maxim to have that pleasure.

"No! You don't get to take him from me, not today, asshole!" Gavin shouted as he acted, booting one of his legs back to hit right against the bottom of the knee of the man who was holding him at gun point, knowing any pressure to that point would cause the leg to buckle. At the same time, he ducked slightly so the gun wasn't right in the center of his skull anymore. The man pulled the trigger as he buckled, the gunshot echoing around the warehouse, causing the detective's ears to ring loudly as if it were a crack of thunder from those storm clouds that took pride in surrounding his mind, everything becoming rather muffly. A white hot searing pain crept along the side of his head but with the adrenaline pumping, Gavin couldn't tell if the pain was from the loudness of the gunshot or if he had actually been shot. Had he just died? It was difficult to tell considering it had felt like he had been drowning for almost two weeks straight. Surely if it was over, the pain in his head would be gone but it only seemed to be amplified.

With fire coursing through his veins, water in his lungs & pain radiating through his head, the detective twisted on his feet, kneeing the accomplice in the stomach as he gripped the man's wrist that was still holding the gun, twisting it so the barrel of the gun was pointing to the floor as he strategically disarmed the man in the same way he had been taught back in the academy before using the handle of the gun to send one strong blow to the side of the man's head, rendering him unconscious in mere seconds.

It was like the detective had time slowed down for him as he spun around, pointing his gun directly at Maxim who in turn, threw his hands up in defense yet that smug grin lingered on his face. There was a fire in Gavin's eyes, fueled by pure, undiluted rage & the desire to see Maxim suffer. As a detective, he knew that such refined anger made people do some unspeakable things yet here he was, ready to pull the trigger without even a speck of remorse.

Keeping his gun trained on Maxim, Gavin reached his free hand out so he could press Nines' thirium pump back into place, maneuvering Nines' hand to press over it in the same way he had with Connor as if to tell him to keep it in place. Nines' frosty eyes met Gavin's angry ones. Like fire & ice. Polar opposites yet so drawn to one another no matter if the outcome would only burn them out. 

Nines slowly shook his head as Gavin's finger wrapped itself around the trigger with ease. 

"Detective...D-don't..." The words were practically silent as they left Nines throat, raspy & mechanical as ever but drenched in fear for what Gavin was about to do, if he hadn't sabotaged his career enough as it was, this would surely do the trick. Nines let out another one of those scratchy whimpers & Gavin could tell that it was hurting the android to try & use his voice. Maxim had done this to him & he deserved to pay for making Nines feel this way.

The hot headed detective never took his eyes from his partner's, even as he spat out his words, such stability in his voice as if he had never been more confident about something in his life.

"Nobody, & I mean, _**Nobody**_ , lays a fuckin' hand on my Nines. Not unless that person is me-" A smirk slowly crept along Gavin's lips with a twisted glimmer in his eyes as he finally dragged his eyes from Nines' to look directly into Maxim's as he pressed the gun to Maxim's head, mimicking shooting him by making the gun sound with his mouth, flicking the gun as if he pulled the trigger. 

"And I was here thinking I was the bad guy, maybe you should take a look at yourse-" Gavin looked back towards his partner as another gunshot, this time coming from the pistol the detective was holding echoed through the warehouse, cutting Maxim's sentence short. The detective didn't even flinch as he pulled the trigger, staring right at Nines rather than looking at Maxim.

Nines opened his mouth as if he were about to speak, only to be cut off by Reed's rough, scratchy voice, "I'm not a killer, Nines. Neither are you." Gavin's smirked changed to something more resembling a sad smile as he glanced to Maxim who was lying on the floor, hands clamped over his shoulder where Gavin had shot him. The detective had finally took control over his own mind. Thinking first, acting later rather than his usual act first, think later. When he had the gun to Maxim's head, every inch of him begged for him to pull the trigger but something about Nines fighting through the agony he was so clearly feeling just to ask him not to kill Maxim, even though Nines' killer, no remorse code was still fighting it's way back into Nines' mind had made Gavin remember who he was, no matter how lost he had felt over the past few days. 

The detective, ignoring the pain that was still radiating through his head, getting progressively worse as his adrenaline burned out, quickly made work of sitting Maxim up, pulling his hands behind his back to handcuff them there, muttering out how seeing Maxim rot in prison would be far more entertaining & satisfying than just killing him. Once Maxim & the accomplice were both handcuffed securely & sitting against the workbench, Gavin phoned it in to get his superior to take them away. 

 

 

It didn't take long for the sound of sirens to fill the silence that comfortably sat around the two detective's & their attempted murderers. Gavin was now slumped against one of the pillars opposite where Maxim & his accomplice were sitting so he could keep his eye on them, his gun still tightly gripped in his hand, his chest rising & falling heavily as he tried to breathe through the pain that was pulsing through his head. When his head felt like it was exploding when he realised that Maxim had taken away Nines' deviancy memory, he didn't think it would be hurting this much. It was getting difficult to think through the pain. He felt cold & hot all at once & it felt so _real._

Nines was sitting beside his human partner, back in his own coat once more, allowing Gavin to lean against his side as the android kept a hand pressed against the side of Gavin's head above his ear, the bullet that was shot earlier had skimmed along the side of his head as he ducked before the bullet planted itself into the wall of the basement & Nines wasn't sure if his partner had even noticed or not that he had technically been shot in the head. He knew adrenaline worked in mysterious ways but there was a lot of blood. He was just grateful that the bullet had only skimmed the skin rather than going through his brain, nothing a good few stitches couldn't fix. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd do with himself without his partner. He knew that he cared for him, he just couldn't remember why & it was so frustrating.

 

Lieutenant Anderson had rushed into the basement with two officers as backup, a paramedic & a technician in tow. As the officers worked on getting Maxim & the accomplice into the back of squad cars to take them back to the precinct, the paramedic squatted beside Gavin, trying to see to his wounds only to have Nines refuse to move his hand from Gavin's head, his ice cold glare piercing through the EMT, it being clear that the android didn't want anybody touching his partner with a fear that they may only cause more harm. Anderson could see this & crouched down in front of the pair of roughed up detectives.

"Dammit, you two look like hell itself. It's over now. The paramedics are here to help you get patched up. They're here to help-" He looked at Nines as he spoke softly which in turn, made Nines slowly pull his hand away, it being painted in a deep red, causing the android to stare at his hand just how he had when he had Gavin's blood on him from when he had been stabbed. Anderson gulped at the sight, grabbing a wipe from the medic's bag so he could help wipe the blood from Nines' hand as the paramedic worked on wrapping some bandages around Reed's head to slow the bleeding until they could make it to the hospital. 

"Jesus, what the hell happened?!" Hank uttered as he continued wiping at Nines' hand. The android's mouth opened but the words fizzled into nothing before they reached the air & Gavin let out a soft sigh, putting his gun in his holster before reaching a hand up to cover Nines' mouth as he spoke barely above a whisper, the last of his adrenaline dissipating, leaving the detective finding it hard to keep his eyes open. "I got shot in the head for this Dipshit, apparently, I wasn't about to let him die, no matter what it takes."

Gavin let out a breathy chuckle under his breath, wincing a little in the process as he looked up at his superior through half lidded eyes. 

"Speaking of, is Connor okay? He's not with you, did he-" The detective glanced to Nines who was looking at him with a puzzled look sparking in his eye, his face still lacking emotion however, before looking back to the Lieutenant who shook his head quickly.

"No, no, Reed, he's fine. He was going to come with me but crime don't stop just because your stupid detectives decide to get themselves into deep shit. He's working another case; good as new. They replaced his regulator with a shiny new one & he isn't mad at you. I sure as hell am still pissed but Connor told me straight that he forgives you & is kind of humbled at your dedication to his brother. No complaints filed against you." Hank smiled but even in Gavin's current state, he could tell the lieutenant was still angry with him & he understood that, he had every right to be.

Once the bandages were wrapped tight enough around the detective's head that he was sure he was going to pass out, he waved the paramedic away, slowly standing so he could stumble over to the workbench, almost stumbling over his own feet but Nines shot up in an instant, gripping his shoulder to steady him. Gavin nodded as a thank you before picking up Maxim's laptop, swallowing thickly before turning to his partner who was staring at him with those steel eyes. 

"How about we get you your memories back, huh? I know I'm not the smartest when it comes to technology & maybe it's too soon to say this but I'll die before I let you forget about me. I'm selfish like that-" Gavin smirked a little & Nines silently nodded, knowing more than anything that he wanted to remember his human partner in the way that the detective so clearly remembered him. 

Gavin glanced to his lieutenant who was listening to their conversation with a sad look washing across his features, understanding more & more of what had gone on with the duo before deciding to speak up in an unashamed voice he never thought he'd be able to use, especially not in front of his superior. 

"Besides, next time I kiss you, Nines, I want you to feel it." The detective winked at his partner who in turn, allowed the softest, faintest smile to curl at the corners of his lips.

And in that moment, that smile sent a spark of hope through Gavin's bloodstream, helping him to keep his head above the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with more metaphors about the ocean. I hope you enjoy it & let me know what you think!  
> The next chapter will surely make up for all the angst, I swear, but I hope that the end of this chapter made up for some of it!  
> All my love as always <3


	20. Play With Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having his injuries stitched up, Gavin finally gets the chance to give Nines all of his memories back to bring his personality back to life, almost forgetting that his partner is one mischievous deviant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay ladies & gents, I lied when I said it'd finish at 20 chapters. Turns out, I underestimated how much description I can write & there are still things I want to touch on (Like Nines' pain receptors) so I'm thinking we might end up with 22 chapters? Also, if this chapter seems a bit short it's bc I had to cut it in half again otherwise it would have been too long! 
> 
> Chapter title: Play With Fire - Sam Tinnesz

Contrary to what the detective would have believed just a few months ago, Gavin Reed was certain that his android partner's issues were far more pressing than his own. He had kept Maxim's laptop gripped tightly under his arm even as his vision began to get a little fuzzy around the edges. The first thing he was so ready to do was to help Nines get his memories back, yet somehow, he had been convinced by the android & his lieutenant to go to the hospital first to get stitched up properly & despite putting up an argument that he doesn't exactly remember all that well; here he was, sitting on a hospital bed with a nurse looming over him, sewing away at the side of his head with the laptop tucked safely under the pillow of the hospital bed & Nines sitting in the guest chair that sat beside the bed.

"I think I've spent more time in this hospital than I have in my own apartment latel-" Gavin let out a soft hiss that cut off his sentence & he couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips as Nines stood up from his chair, ready to stop the nurse from hurting him any more. Gavin waved his hand considering he couldn't shake his head & chuckled softly to himself through his words.

"Calm down, Killer, she just hit a sensitive spot, is all." Gavin glanced the best he could in Nines' direction all the while trying to keep his head as still as possible as the nurse continued to very carefully stitch the wound that sat neatly along the side of his head, just above his ear with perfect precision as to not catch any of Gavin's hair in the wound. The man put up a rather boisterous fight over the idea of having to shave the side of his head to get to the wound better, he vaguely recalls saying he'd rather bleed out. Maybe he was being dramatic but he at least wanted to try & not look like the complete disaster he knew he was.

Nines didn't seem to react to the nickname that Gavin had just given him but then again, maybe it's because this still wasn't _his_ Nines yet. The nurse threw a glare at the cautious android but continued her work when he slowly sat back down but not before pushing the chair that bit closer to the bed. The detective could tell that Nines was just on edge, in his own way, due to everything that had happened to them so he let the over protectiveness slide. Besides, it felt quite nice to see his partner looking out for him rather than trying to injure him. 

Once the nurse was finally finished, which seemed to take longer than Gavin had expected, she carefully placed a gauze pad over the side of his head to cover the stitches, running the detective through how often to take his painkillers & how to change the bandages & what not as if he didn't already know from enough experience. Gavin just proceeded to nod as she spoke even if her words seemed to get lost somewhere in the air before they reached his ears. His mind far too distracted at the thought of getting _his_ Nines back now he was all patched up.

As the nurse left, the detective jumped up & almost tripped on his own feet as the blood rushed to his head from the sudden movement but he managed to steady himself, shutting the hospital room door before lazily sitting himself back on the bed, crossing his legs into a basket & pulling out the laptop, sitting it on his lap as he booted it up, glancing over at his partner who was watching his every move, his face stoic once more. God, Gavin couldn't wait to see some emotion back on that stupid porcelain face. To see oceans in those eyes rather than glaciers. Something about that thought made his stomach do those familiar somersaults but this time they didn't feel so dangerous. They were... Hopeful.

The detective glanced at his partner before reaching over to tap the bed opposite him to signal for Nines to sit there rather than being so far away as he looked back to the laptop screen, his eyebrows knitting tightly together as his eyes scanned over all of the information that sat upon the brightly lit screen. As Nines sat himself on the bed, mimicking Gavin's position, the detective's phone buzzed a few times in his pocket.

[Are you sure you know what you're doing, Detective?]

[I told you that I can do it myself. You don't have to help.]

[You should rest while I re-download all of my ḿ̵̱ė̵m̷̗̀o̶̞̊ries. It could take a while.]

"And let you go through that by yourself? I don't think so. For the record, I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to technology, even if you think otherwise." Gavin rolled his eyes, shaking his head in the process, placing his phone down beside him on the bed before drawing his attention back to the laptop. Minutes ticked by as he scrolled through tonnes upon tonnes of data that didn't make all that much sense to him. It was like looking into Maxim's freakshow of a brain & he hated it. He was sure that Nines would be able to understand it all but for once, he just wanted to prove that he could do something right by the android considering he had done nothing but mess things up from the second they had been shackled together in Captain Fowler's office all that time ago.

The detective let out a little 'aha!' as he found each of the deleted memory files, tucked away in a folder under many other folders of garbage code he didn't understand. He quickly opened the folder to be sure each memory file was there, his brows tightly knitting together as he scanned over each one, tying his best to read through the random strings of numbers to piece together the keywords to be sure they were in fact Nines' & he wasn't about to upload the wrong memories into his partner. That, would be a little awkward. 

Gavin swallowed thickly as his nerves began to bubble in the pit of his stomach again, his hands beginning to grow clammy. He stood himself up, placing the laptop on the hospital bedside table before fluffing up the pillows he had just been leaning against, gesturing to them with a sad smile on his worry filled face as he looked at his partner who was staring back at him curiously.

"You mentioned in the ambulance ride here about going into stasis while I upload your memories, y'know? So, uh, go to sleep or whatever-" Gavin patted the pillow yet again before picking his phone up incase Nines tried to disagree but much to his surprise, the android willingly lay himself down properly on the bed on his back, Gavin's phone only buzzing once as the android fluttered his eyes shut.

The detective sat himself on the edge of the bed beside Nines' hip, only checking his phone when the laptop was neatly back on his lap. Gavin could almost feel the sarcasm seeping through the words that sat on his phone screen.

[You do realise I don't have to lay down to go into stasis, correct? Wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable though, Detec̶t̶i̴v̶e.]

Reed rolled his eyes yet again & let out a soft sigh, putting his phone in his pocket as he began to group the folders of memory files together, beginning to queue them up to upload one by one back into the memory bank of the RK900 that lay before him in what he hoped was a peaceful stasis. Did androids dream? The thought lingered around the detective's mind for a while as his eyes stayed trained on the upload bar, trying to keep himself from staring at his partner.

If they did dream, did they just replay old memories or did they come up with completely unique, strange little movies in their minds just like humans did? If they did only replay memories then would Nines be able to dream or would those dreams be altered due to losing memories? Would that mean Nines could have a bad dream due to the corrupt files? So many questions swam through the detective's mind, he'd have to bombard Nines with them when he gets him back. After all of the personal questions he had asked his partner, he surprised himself that he had never asked about dreaming or about stasis in general for that matter. 

Nines had always been quite interested in Gavin's sleeping patterns or lack of them for that matter. The detective found sleeping rather troubling because if he did let himself sleep for any longer than an hour or two, he'd wake up in a sweat from a severe nightmare that he could have sworn was real. He'd accepted it years ago that he'd never get a full nights sleep but lack of sleep definitely had its way of taking a toll on the man. It heightened his restlessness, caffeine addiction & short temper.

Although Gavin may have been a short tempered man who really didn't like when things took time & he had to be patient, always just skipping right into the action; for once, he found his patience. This was a delicate matter & he was willing to spend as much time as it took, waiting for that upload bar to be filled, even if the closer it got to the end, the more the detective's nerves bubbled in his stomach, threatening to get caught in his throat, choking him with their cruel hands from the inside.

The detective was beginning to struggle to keep his eyes open, time passing only causing the man to grow progressively more tired & worn out from being awake for God knows how many hours, possibly days straight. The sun was beginning to cast beautiful pink streaks across the clouds, the room filling with a warm orange hue, spilling in from the window to signal hours had passed by, the day turning to evening.

 

Nines' eyes slowly fluttered open, instinctively scanning the room to catch his bearings before allowing his eyes to land on the man who was sitting at his hip. The detective had the laptop sitting on his legs still, one elbow resting just below the keyboard, propping his head up on his hand with his eyes shut, hair falling across his face, breathing calmly through his nose. Nines stared for a few moments, the orange & red glow from the window casting itself across his human companion, creating what Nines couldn't help but think was the most stunning image he had ever seen. An image that he would have backed up in his memory banks for years to come, under lock & key so tightly, nobody could dare take it from him. Not again.

Despite the bandages around his head & the deep purple hues that claimed control of the skin underneath Gavin's eyes, Nines only saw beauty. He was grateful that the detective was in a light slumber, that way he could stare without being told to fuck off. He couldn't help himself. The last time he had seen Gavin properly, when he could feel it, he wasn't even real. Simply an amalgamation of code to look like Gavin, but this Gavin was real. No strands of code surrounding his sleeping form. No cruel words spewing from his mouth. He was real, he was alive & he looked rather peaceful all things considered.

It took Nines a good few moments of staring before deciding on whether he should wake the detective that sat before him or just let him rest. That's when the android got an even better idea, mischievous sparks flickering in his eyes. He was about to play with fire yet part of him wanted to feel the burn.

Nines let his eyes close again, listening to the detective's soft breathing for a few seconds before very gently hitching his leg, just enough to brush against Gavin's to indicate he was out of stasis. He was taken aback by just how quickly Gavin snapped back awake, ready to check on him but at the same time, it sent a warm feeling coursing through the wires in his chest & it took everything to not allow a smile to creep onto his face.

"Nines? You in there?" Gavin's voice was raspy with tiredness but he tried his best to push aside his own problems so he could focus on the android in front of him who slowly blinked his eyes open, those deep, steel irises being revealed & staring right at Gavin. The detective rubbed one hand over his face before running it awkwardly through his hair to push it off of his face despite the bandages around his head causing that task to be a little more difficult than he had imagined. 

There was a silence that sat thick in the air & the detective was sure that if something didn't happen soon, the silence would engulf & suffocate him. He leaned over the laptop slightly as if that would somehow give him a better view of the android lying before him. He wasn't entirely sure what to say as he waited for his question to be answered by the buzzing of his phone but nothing came.

That was until Nines sat himself up & extended a hand as if waiting for a handshake, opening his mouth to speak even though it caused him pain. What came out was filled with static & was raspier than it had ever been, still mechanical & frightening yet, the words that were spoken were far more spine-chilling than the way they sounded.

"Hello, D-detective-" Nines stared at Gavin, face completely stoic as the words fell from his lips in a voice that was just barely above a whisper, as if he genuinely couldn't get his voice to be any louder. "-I am an RK900 android, I am here to assist you in your detective wor-" 

The android didn't get to finish his raspy, mechanical sounding sentence though, being cut off by Gavin shaking his head as his eyes glazed over immediately, dropping his head to frantically type on the laptop while muttering through grit teeth,

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, please, no.. Fuck, shit, what have I done?!" Tears began to flow freely down the detective's cheeks, falling onto the laptop keys as he backtracked through the files he uploaded to see where his mistake had been made. Somewhere he had fucked up & somehow, Nines didn't remember anything at all. Did he just factory reset his partner? 

"Fuck, fuck, _FUCK!"_ Expletives rolled endlessly from the detective's mouth like an unstoppable wave as tears created little rivers on his face. It was as if those storm clouds that surrounded his mind had finally got too heavy & it was time to rain; that rain coming in the form of tears that didn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Gavin found himself sort of hoping that if he cried enough, he could drown himself in his tears right there & then & he'd never have to face a Nines that didn't know him at all. That wasn't something he could handle. Machine Nines was difficult enough as it was to deal with, there was no way he could stand to look at a blank slate version of the android. 

He continued to scroll through all of the memory files, checking each one to be sure it had been uploaded properly while searching to find where he had made an error, trying his best to swallow back the guilt that was bubbling up in his throat, ready to leave that familiar bitter taste in his mouth. If Nines was gone for good & it was all his fault, yet again, he knew in that moment that this time, he wouldn't hesitate in pulling the trigger & ending this ridiculous tragedy of a life.

The detective frustratedly ran his hand through his hair, only growing more irritated as his fingers caught in the bandages, groaning quietly to himself through his tears before throwing the laptop onto the floor with enough force to break it, it landing with a loud clatter. Running his hands through his hair yet again, tugging at the bandages slightly, Gavin squeezed his eyes shut, exasperated.

_"Fuck!"_

Gavin quickly wiped his cheeks on his sleeve before wiping his eyes too to try & stifle the tears before opening his eyes once more so he could look back up at his partner who in turn, was still staring at him with those beautifully dangerous gun metal eyes that were as grey as the ashes that flew from the fire he was playing with & he was smirking. Fucking _smirking._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nines sure does like to play tricks on Gavin, we know this;)


	21. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communication can be difficult when one is bad with expressing feelings into words & the other can't speak but if you're willing to try, things may just work out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A straight follow on from the previous chapter, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Chapter title: Broken - lovelytheband

"You son of a bitch!" Gavin's words came out raspy but drenched in anger but Nines knew he deserved whatever was coming, but he couldn't help but think about the time he tricked the detective into drinking thirium rather than coffee. He was rather entertained by Gavin's hostile reactions. The detective's features screwed up as he glowered at Nines, launching himself at the android so he could throw a punch that he genuinely thought he would be able to land. He didn't.

Nines gripped his partner's wrist before his fist collided with his face, that smirk never leaving his lips as those deep eyes stared right into Gavin's own green ones. There was a fire behind the detective's eyes & if he wasn't careful, it would set the forest that sat in them ablaze. The android stayed staring silently for barely a few seconds before swiftly switching their positions so Gavin was lying flat on his back on the bed, Nines straddling his hips. A familiar position from the night he disappeared. That thought made the android's brows furrow together but he pushed it aside as he pressed his lips to the detective's ear, whispering in a static filled tone, despite speaking causing his throat to burn.

"Like I c-could forget you, Gavin Reed."

A shudder ran down the detective's spine at the way his name sounded in Nines' deep, raspy mechanical voice & he swallowed before shifting himself slightly beneath the android's heavy weight so he could look at him properly, one hand finding its way to grip at the front of Nines' coat, the other gently cupping his cheek as he stared into two absolutely stunning oceans of pure emotion. There they were. No more icy glares or frozen feelings.

"You're an asshole, you know that? I thought I lost you for good! How could you do that? I hate you!" Gavin's short sentences fell from his lips in quick succession but they lacked any real bite. He never got to continue spewing 'I hate you's' that he didn't mean because Nines rolled his eyes, deciding he was going to shut the detective up himself.

Just like that, Nines pressed his lips to Gavin's, catching the detective off guard slightly, the kiss being quite desperate & needy but it being exactly what both men craved in that moment. Nines knew that Gavin didn't really hate him or else he wouldn't have cried over him. Besides, the only way Gavin knew how to show his feelings was through angst & Nines knew that.

One of Nines' hands slowly ran up Gavin's chest then along his neck before settling on firmly gripping his jaw as he deepened the kiss. Nines gently swiped his tongue along Gavin's lower lip which pulled a soft surprised sound from the detective's throat to which Nines smirked at before slowly pulling back barely an inch so the human could do the human thing & catch his breath.

The detective stared up at the android that was leaning over him, unable to help the soft pink hues that flushed his cheeks or the genuine smile that spread across his lips as he spoke softly through the short breaths he was pulling into his lungs.

"Well, I can tell that you _felt_ it that time. You trying to take charge, tough guy?" Gavin let out a cheeky, breathy laugh as he tapped his finger over the hand that was still firmly gripping his jaw. Nines cocked an eyebrow, taking note on how Gavin was intentionally trying to antagonise him. Nothing new there but now he could do something a little more interesting about it.

As Nines' grip tightened on the detective's jaw, it only made the man's smirk grow wider, his eyes staring up into Nines', wide & full of trust & mischief. Insufferable, Nines thought to himself, leaning down so he could kiss the detective once more, biting at his lower lip this time before slowly descending down Gavin's body, only moving his hand to kiss along his jaw then down his neck, Gavin tipping his head back in response, soft pleased sounds rolling off his tongue.

Nines planted multiple soft kisses along the fingerprint bruises that sat in a deep purple on the detective's skin & Gavin could tell this was Nines' way of apologising for almost killing him,. Although dying by Nines' hand would have never bothered the detective, he appreciated the apology kisses & the thought that maybe Nines did feel guilt was sort of comforting considering the no remorse code he had to break through. Pushing those thoughts aside, the detective allowed his eyes to flutter shut so he could indulge himself in the soft touch that he so desperately craved, tangling his fingers in Nines' perfectly styled hair, disheveling it a little. Nobody should be allowed to look so perfect after everything they had just been through together.

The kisses from Nines continued to descend down the detective's chest & stomach, over the top of his shirt though for a few moments before he decided to use his hands to pull at Gavin's shirt, pulling away just enough to look up at him questioningly. Not wanting to cross a line by assuming it was okay without asking first. The detective fluttered his eyes back open as he felt Nines pull at his clothes & let that genuine smile fall across his lips once more as he nodded, pulling his jacket off as he mumbled softly,

"You didn't have to ask, Nines. This is a definite step up from you trying to kill me. Do as you please, you wont see me complaining-" Gavin shot his partner a lust filled look followed by a wink that only caused Nines to roll his eyes. The man really did need to practice how to wink properly. How could one human look so ridiculous yet so attractive all rolled into one? He supposes it was just the Gavin Reed charm.

The android ran his hands up Gavin's sides which earned him a soft shudder from the detective before he slowly pulled his shirt over his head, being mindful of Gavin's sensitive stitches. Gavin still had his LED around his neck, Nines ghosted a finger over it & Gavin glanced down, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke, his voice almost shy if Nines didn't know any better.

"I'm not taking that off though, Nines-" The android nodded at the words, not having expected Gavin to part with it when it clearly meant something of importance to him. Once his shirt was off & dropped onto the bed beside his jacket, Nines slipped his own coat off to even the playing field considering he still didn't have a shirt on beneath it. He sat back on his heels, knees either side of Gavin's thighs, pinning the detective's legs in place by his weight but only sitting back so he could really take a moment to take in Gavin's well built form. Despite all he had been through, the man was still in extremely good shape. Minus the large pink scar that now ran along Gavin's lower stomach, just below his belly button.

Nines didn't try to stop the sad look from washing over his features as he stared at the just barely healed wound, thinking about the night that he deviated. Although he wanted to reminisce over the fact that was the moment he found how to feel, that was the moment he gained his name, he couldn't help but feel genuinely upset. His partner had nearly died that night just so he wouldn't be damaged & now this scar would be a constant reminder of that. The android gently traced a finger along the raised skin, opening his mouth ready to attempt to rasp out an apology but being cut off by Gavin's soft voice.

"Nines, please, I can see you trying to use that voice box of yours but I know it hurts you, don't worry about it. It's just a scratch, remember? All healed-" The detective propped himself up on his elbows for a moment as new questions passed through his mind. He cursed himself for cutting the moment short, knowing exactly which direction it was headed & oh how he wanted Nines in every way & he was definitely feeling it, but, this was a little more important than risky hospital sex.

"Wait, Nines, speaking of, I can tell you can feel pain now, I saw it with my own eyes. I heard you whimper. Can I fix that? Is there anything I can do to help?" Gavin spoke with genuine concern lacing is words but let out a soft sigh as he felt those soft lips being pressed against the scar that ran across his stomach, gazing down at the android who was avoiding his questions before allowing himself to flop back into the pillows as Nines' lips left a trail of kisses getting progressively lower until they reached where his jeans were buttoned.

Gavin drew in a deep breath as Nines' hands fiddled with the button & zipper on his jeans, getting them undone with ease & tugging them down just enough so the android could leave little damp kisses along his crotch over the top of his boxers. The detective let out yet another soft sigh that was on the verge of being mixed with a quiet moan at the sensation of Nines mouthing him through his underwear. 

Gavin swallowed back another pleased sound as he felt Nines' fingers dig into his thighs, cursing himself once more, deciding he wasn't about to let Nines' seduction distract him from the importance of the questions he had just asked. He used his hands gripping the bed sheets to help sit himself up, gently pushing at Nines' shoulder so he'd stop before he pulling his jeans back up, buttoning them up as he let out a deflated sigh. He really must be insane. 

"Wait, look, ugh, fuck-" Tripping over his words, Gavin rubbed at his face before looking at his partner who was now sitting back on his heels, looking at him with big puppy eyes & furrowed brows. God, why did he have to look so fucking innocent? You'd think he had just told him something tragic rather than just not letting him get his hands & mouth on his dick.

"Nines, don't get me wrong, I like where this is heading, fuck, I _really_ like where this is heading but I just, I don't know, are you in pain now?" 

The strangely long silence was enough of an answer for Gavin & yet again, he found himself dreading the silence more than the response. He assumed that was going to be a running theme with this particular android. He sighed softly & nodded as if to reply to the silence, maneuvering himself so he was sitting properly in front of Nines, cupping the android's cheeks.

"What did he do to you, huh?" Gavin mumbled under his breath as he inspected the android's face, studying his features as if somewhere within them, he'd get his answers. The detective's phone buzzed from across the room & he smiled softly, mouthing a thank you to Nines for actually responding before pulling himself away from his partner so he could check his phone.

[He used his laptop to get into my so̷ft̷w̸a̴re̸. I was not aware I had pain receptors yet he did. So to get a reaction from me, he turned them on.]

[My throat hurts quite a bit. If I try to speak, to b̵r̴ea̵t̴he̸ or swallow, it feels-]

[Unpl̷͖̓e̶͋ȃ̴̞̍ś̶͍͚̅a̷̗̅nt̵.]

Gavin was quiet for a few moments as his mind began to race through all of the things Maxim could have done to Nines just because he could feel it & there was that familiar bitter taste painting itself across his mouth, guilt swarming his senses. It was his fault that any of this happened in the first place & if he would have just found Nines sooner, he wouldn't be hurting. It wasn't fair. Nines didn't do anything wrong. There were those hands once more, attempting to drag him into the riptides of the cruel, guilt riddled ocean he'd been fighting with for weeks. 

"Uh, did you know that your messages do this now?" A thousand things swam through the detective's mind that he wanted to say but that's all that managed to leave his mouth. Gavin showed Nines his phone so the android could see the texts that had come through a little bit chaotic. Nines' eyes widened slightly as he grabbed the phone, eyes scanning over the screen as he shook his head before throwing the phone onto the bed, shooting a hand out to tightly grip Gavin's wrist as his synthetic skin retracted to his elbow, Nines' eyes looking into Gavin's & the detective could see they were filled with that same desperation they had from the first time Nines had attempted to interface with him.

Things stayed quiet for a few moments & despite the annoyance that was bubbling in the pit of Gavin's stomach, his sympathy for Nines outweighed it, or at least, he thought it did but naturally, having a short temper made that annoyance seep through his words more than he had intended it to.

"Nines, c'mon, man, you know I can't do that, stop it. You're kinda freaking me out. I know you wanna talk, I know it must be frustrating but I can't read your fucking mind like an android can! I rely on those texts. I don't care if your messages are a bit dodgy, I can still read 'em so tell me what your fucking problem is!" Gavin yanked his arm away from Nines' grip with a fair bit of force before pulling his shirt back on, having clearly killed the mood for sure, grabbing his phone while waiting expectantly.

Nines stood himself up, picking up the smashed laptop that was lying in it's early grave on the hospital floor, throwing it down on the bed beside Gavin all the while throwing a glare at the detective for good measure before standing in front of the window, staring out to avoid Gavin's eyes on him as his phone buzzed in his hand a fair few times in quick succession.

[The messages look like h̶i̴m̷.]

[The code surrounded him, fraying at the edges so I knew he wasn't real but I couldn't s̴t̸o̶p̶ ̴ him from showing up.]

[He kept me company when I was certain nobody would come to find me.]

[Then, he just left me. Just like you did. Alo̵͙͒ne̶. After begging me to not let him go, to not forget him. Maxim took him away when he took away my d̸e̷v̴ianc̵y̴ memories.]

[He left because I couldn't _feel_ him anymore.]

[I couldn't feel a̸n̵y̴̠t̷h̸̲͆ȉ̵͜ng̵̗͝ anymore & I thought that's what I wanted but now I feel e̶v̸e̸ry̷t̶h̴i̶n̶g̷ & I don't know if I want that either.]

[But now, there's no way for me to not feel it. _You_ smashed the laptop. Who knows what Maxim used to edit my s̸o̵f̷t̴w̷a̶re. Now, we'll never know.]

"Nines, I-" Gavin started but his words seemed to get lost in his throat as the water began filling his lungs, burning his esophagus with each shallow breath he took. The detective flung his legs over the side of the bed so he could plant his feet firmly on the floor, something he had learnt to do as a teenager if it felt like the world was crumbling away around him. Feeling the security of having the floor beneath his feet was supposed to help but in this moment, he felt as though he had fallen through the ice & was trapped in the freezing water beneath, unable to pull himself out again as he gasped for breath but rather than air filling his lungs, it was water swarming with regret & guilt that had the capability to tear a man apart.

"I, Nines, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't find you sooner but I swear I tried. I know you thought I was dead but I'm here now, aren't I? He isn't here, it's me. The real asshole Gavin not your code brain version-" Gavin was a smart man, tetris blocks falling into place in his mind as usual. Back when he found Nines, the android thought he wasn't real. He was so alone & afraid, convinced that Gavin had killed himself, the android's mind had created a false version to get him through the trauma. Smart, yet strangely frightening that androids could hallucinate.

Slowly, Gavin stood so he could take a few cautious steps closer to the android, swallowing loudly as he stood beside him at the window, Nines turned to look down at his partner, his eyes glassy as if he were about to cry but having far better control of the dam that sat behind his eyes than Gavin did. The detective drew in another deep breath as he reached his hand out to hold Nines', giving a reassuring squeeze before mumbling in a much softer tone this time.

"I'm sorry you're in pain, I'm sorry that it's partially my fault & now you're stuck like it. I'm sorry for all the awful things I said & did, the guilt is eating me alive & I feel like, well, I feel like I'm drowning, Nines. I hate it & I'm scared. I aint exactly the best with words & you aren't the best with your voice so maybe we were just doomed from the start, eh?" 

Gavin let out a sad chuckle, shaking his head to himself. He had never said so much truth in one breath before. He was known for being unapologetic & arrogant yet here he was, apologising as if his life depended on it but he meant every word. He was so desperately sorry that Nines was damaged because of him. But he himself was damaged too & Nines knew that yet he still hadn't left. Gavin had never admitted to feeling as though he couldn't breath in anything other than water but it did feel good to say it out loud. The pair had a lot they had to talk about, truth's to be told & demons to face but Gavin knew that if anyone was going to stick with him through it all, it'd be Nines.

Nines shook his head as a way of showing he was dismissing the detective's words, taking Gavin's phone with his free hand, turning the screen so the detective could see the words printed across the screen with no chaotic edges. 

[Then let me teach you to swim, Detective.]

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooh boy, I'd be lying if I said I didn't make myself a little bit emotional over the end of this chapter. I know that this could easily be the ending but I'd like to write up a little epilogue as it were so there will be one more chapter after this one to wrap things up as perfectly as I can.
> 
> By the way, I have a playlist of every song chapter title if you're interested, just copy & paste this link!  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2e8ibzV4ST4l7XBLoRRQmO
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter, I love y'all <3


	22. Strange Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road to recovery may be slow & daunting but at least neither of them will be alone, not anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! It's currently 3:30A.M as I'm writing this so my apologies for any mistakes. Also NSFW in this chapter! Not really explicit detail but kinda? Also, does the start of this chapter look familiar? Maybe bc it's how the first paragraph of the first chapter goes;)
> 
> Chapter title: Strange Things Will Happen - The Radio Dept. (One of my all time favourite songs!)

Some people left a lot to be desired, Gavin thought to himself as he stared into his reflection in his bathroom mirror, breathing calmly, hair damp from the shower he had just taken. His reflection stared back, those deep red & purple hues that usually took residence around his sunken, hazel eyes were beginning to fade very slightly. Not by much but it sure was noticeable. He had trimmed the scruff around his jaw so he looked a little more presentable but still keeping up with his 'tough guy' look. The last time Gavin had stared at himself this intently in the mirror was when he was trying to calm himself down after being partnered with Nines. The only difference being now he had more scars littered along his body yet somehow, he was better than he had ever been.

Some left a lot to be desired but at least now he had a reason to work on himself. He didn't feel like he was drowning anymore, at least, not as often. Sometimes he would feel that water begin to burn at his lungs but then he'd feel Nines' firm hand on his shoulder, reminding him of where he was & the fiery, suffocating sensation in his chest would dissipate. Just as how sometimes, he wound find Nines seeming to be lost in his own head, staring at nothing & he'd obstruct his view, calmly speaking to the android to remind him that he was safe now. 

A lot can happen in a week, Gavin & Nines figured that one out the hard way with everything that they had been through which would forever be burned into their memories, creeping up on the pair at the most unexpected moments in an attempt to drag them into the abyss but neither of them were alone in facing their demons. Not anymore. They had each other & that was enough.

Captain Fowler had ordered Gavin to take a week off or suffer suspension for a month. The detective had tried to argue the point because he believed he was fit for work but he knew he'd rather take a week then be back in the field than have to take a month off. So here he was. In his apartment, 5 days into his week off with Nines waiting for him to finish in the bathroom so they could watch another bad movie together & try to get some rest. 

Those 5 days were a strange state of equilibrium. Nines had to take time off of work too & spent the whole time at Gavin's apartment despite Gavin claiming he didn't need Nines constantly watching him over his shoulder to be sure he didn't do something stupid. They had upgraded the detective's security together to be sure he would not be receiving any unwanted visitors, they watched many bad sci-fi movies where robots became sentient & Nines sat through listening to his partner point at the TV screen, nudge his shoulder & state "look! It's you!" with a cheeky grin across his features.

Nines had even helped change the bandages around Gavin's head, kept the wound clean despite the detective's protests & had surprisingly managed to get the man to take his painkillers every 6 hours as recommended. Nines had even taken to sitting on Gavin's bed as the man attempted to sleep, gently running his fingers through the detective's hair with Gavin's head resting on his thigh, continuing to stroke the soft brown hair until he felt him relax beneath the caring touch & begin to softly snore. 

 

Gavin wandered out of his bathroom in only his favourite grey sweatpants, Nines' LED still on it's chain, never leaving the detective's neck. He gently towel dried his hair, avoiding the healing wound that was still sensitive on his head as he wandered into his bedroom to find Nines lying on his bed in a pair of slightly tight black sweatpants that Gavin had insisted he wore around the apartment rather than wearing jeans all of the time. The android was lying on his back, hands neatly clasped together, resting on his chest with his eyes fluttered shut.

He assumed that Nines was in stasis but without his LED, it was tough to tell & a few times, Nines had only pretended to be in stasis so he could make Gavin jump. One thing the detective had learnt since being partnered with the android was that he _loved_ to play tricks on Gavin much to the detective's expense. It was fucking annoying but worth it when he got to see that mischievous little grin grace Nines' features.

As Gavin allowed his eyes to take in the sight of Nines looking so peaceful, he thought about their moment in the hospital when Nines had advanced on him, only for him to push the android away to bring up the pain receptors. On their first night back at his apartment, as Gavin was getting ready to attempt to get some sleep, Nines had slinked his arms around the detective, kissing his shoulders & neck to relax him before proceeding push Gavin down on his bed & go down on him to make up for the time he was cut off back at the hospital.

It felt like nothing the detective had ever experienced before, Nines' mouth was the perfect mix of warmth & dampness & the way Nines looked up at him with those steel eyes while blowing him was enough to make Gavin come right there after barely 5 minutes of action like a teenager but yet again, he had cut the moment short. Not by coming, no. He heard Nines whimper again with each thrust of his hips but was too engulfed in the pleasure to pull away right away. It was only when Nines had let out a slightly louder whimper, his fingernails digging into Gavin's hip to show his discomfort did the detective pull away with a worried look washing across his features. He ignored Nines' protests as he tucked himself away, multiple 'I'm sorry's' falling from his lips like a broken record, diverting his eyes to look away from Nines.

Guilt flooded Gavin's lungs as he tried to breathe as calmly as he could but he didn't know how to deal with the thought of causing Nines pain, especially when the android was only trying to please him but Gavin knew just how sensitive Nines' throat was yet he let the android attempt to deepthroat him anyway. It was selfish & since that moment, Gavin had barely touched the android besides when Nines stole a kiss from him here & there, too afraid to go any further than that incase he hurt Nines.

The detective snapped out of his thoughts as he saw Nines' hands very subtly move, signing out {come here} as his phone buzzed from in his pocket.

[Are you going to just stand there staring, Re̸e̴̢͝d̶?]

Something Gavin had taken up learning over the past 5 days was sign language. He was a quick learner for sure but it was going to take a while before he became 'fluent'. But, the detective had suggested that Nines use ASL as a way of communicating rather than always hacking his technology. Gavin was willing to learn if it meant he had more ways to talk with & understand his partner, he didn't want Nines trying to use his voice if Gavin didn't have his phone on him. Until Gavin had learned enough though, Nines would use a bit of sign language mixed with a text here & there to help Gavin out if he didn't quite catch what Nines was trying to sign out to him.

The detective chuckled at his phone after reading the message, rolling his eyes as he climbed up onto the bed, straddling Nines' hips.

"I would say you're pretty when you're sleeping but you're a dipshit who was only faking it to catch me off guard again. Not to mention the cheek of calling me by my last name-" Gavin smirked as Nines shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to try to explain himself. Instead, he simply wrapped his arms tightly around Gavin to pull the smaller man against his bare chest, holding him so close that Gavin could almost feel the thrum of Nines' regulator.

The detective relaxed against the warm chest, allowing his eyes to flutter shut as he listened to the whirring of Nines' thirium pump. Another thing they had managed to get done in their 5 days of recovery was to get Nines an official RK900 thirium pump rather than using the RK800 one that wouldn't hold up for much longer. Reed had even come clean & told Nines about how he held Connor at gun point for it in an attempt to save his life. Nines seemed mildly disappointed but he wasn't surprised.

Although, the task of changing the regulator was rather difficult. It wasn't like an android could be sedated & usually none of this would have been a problem except for the fact Nines could feel _everything_. It took a lot of arguing with technicians before they finally allowed Gavin to switch the regulators himself. He had sat in front of his partner, breathing as calmly as he could while rambling on about cats, knowing how much Nines seemed to love them, hoping it would be enough of a distraction as he carefully removed the old regulator, pressing the new one in place, trying not to allow his voice to shake as Nines' fingers dug into his shoulders, gripping him tight enough to leave bruises as the android tried to ignore the agonizing pain that spread through his chest.

 

Despite the demons that were creeping through Gavin's mind, attempting to make his brain their home once more, the thing that seemed to loom over him the most like an angry storm cloud was the fact he felt like he had treat Nines like he was delicate. The same android that had put him in a choke hold in mere seconds as if it were nothing, the same android who floored him without breaking a fabricated sweat, the same android who had pulled his own heart out to save Gavin's life. He felt as though he was treading on thin ice around him, fearing if he pushed too hard, Nines would break. He was likely overthinking it but he couldn't help but feel that way since hurting Nines on their first night back at his apartment.

Gavin's mindset continued to stay that way for a further two days until it was the morning that they were preparing themselves for getting back to work. They had been given strict orders that things would be taken slow until they could get back into the swing of things. The pair would be working half days, starting at 12:30 P.M rather than Nines starting at 7:30 A.M, Gavin starting at 9:20 A.M & they would be on desk duty for the minimum of two weeks. Again, Gavin had more reason to complain but he was just grateful that he wasn't being forced to see the DPD appointed therapist. He had made a deal with Fowler that if he can keep a grip on his temper, he wouldn't have to see the psychiatrist but the moment he showed even a hint of hostility or jumpiness, he'd be made to go. He & Nines had made a deal too to not bring up Gavin's almost suicide attempt & in turn, Gavin would try & be sure only the people who had to know would find out about Nines' ability to physically feel.

Gavin was just about to pull on his leather jacket at the front door but had brushed past Nines, his shoulder hitting into Nines' with a fair bit of force due to his nerves about going back to work beginning to bubble in his stomach. He immediately began apologising to which something inside Nines snapped.

The android let out a low, irritated sound in response to the apologies that were filling the air, rolling his eyes as he used enough force to cause harm, gripping Gavin's shoulders & shoving the smaller man up against the front door, pulling a surprised gasp from the detective, clearing the space between them by pressing himself right against Gavin's body, his phone buzzing repeatedly in his pocket as Nines stared down at him with those soul piercing orbs, his eyes narrowing to show his clear annoyance.

The detective swallowed as he stared up at the android before reaching one hand slowly to his pocket so he could see what his partner had to say.

[I'm not made of fu̶c̷k̵i̶ng glass, Detective.]

[Stop apologising & stop being so a̶f̵rai̸d̷.]

[If you're not careful, somebody might think you actual̴l̷y̵ ̴c̷a̴r̸e̷.]

The detective scanned his eyes over the texts a few times to be sure he was reading them right. He couldn't help but feel a little proud yet responsible for the fact that Nines had swore, although, he was slightly hurt that Nines' words were coming back chaotic again. Slowly tucking his phone back into his pocket, Gavin swallowed to dampen his throat so he could actually get his words out without them sounding too pathetic.

"I do care, Dipshit. I don't want to fucking see you in pain! Fuck you, Nines, I was trying to be cautious!" Gavin spat his words out with more venom than he had originally intended yet the android didn't seem phased. Instead he simply pressed himself closer so he could whisper in Gavin's ear once more in that mechanical tone that set something off inside of the detective.

"Fuck me? Do it yourself. O-or are you afraid, _Detective?"_ Nines had managed to speak with barely a stutter but his voice was still broken, raspy & mechanical. He was sure to put emphasis on 'detective', it seeming to work a charm because he could see that fire sparking in Gavin's eyes. He knew the man didn't enjoy being told he was too scared to do something & for once, it was Nines' turn to antagonize his partner rather than it being the other way around. 

Gavin smirked ever so slightly as he shrugged his shoulders, wanting to at least try to put up a fight to piss Nines off. If it was Nines' goal to see how short his fuse really was, well, two could play at that game. It was like fighting fire with fire. Deviants base their emotions off of what they're used to being around whether they realise it or not & because Nines was Gavin's shadow; his tempter was just as short as the detective's.

"Sorry, Tin Can but I have a job to get to. You're gonna have to wait-" The detective attempted to pull away so he could get to his shoes to show he was being serious but Nines' strength was far superior. The android shook his head, forcing Gavin against the door again as he pressed their lips together, kissing him deeply all the while attempting to mumble 'I don't want to wait' against the detective's mouth. Gavin barely caught onto what that mechanical, glitchy voice said but when it clicked, he couldn't stop the excited somersaults from flipping in his stomach. Those butterflies only amplifying into something resembling more of a pterodactyl as Nines pulled away, grabbing Gavin by the wrist as he dragged him towards his bedroom, discarding his coat & shoes in the process.

Gavin pulled his jacket & shirt off quickly, hoping that his eagerness didn't shine through his rushed actions too much, practically throwing himself at his partner, messily kissing Nines' lips before dragging those kisses along his jaw instead as the android pushed him down on the bed, one of his hands finding it's way to Gavin's neck, his fingers sitting perfectly over the faded bruises that he had left before. The detective paused his kissing to look up at Nines, swallowing from beneath the hand that was applying a soft pressure to his jugular.

There was what seemed like a long yet comfortable silence as they stared at one another before Gavin finally spoke up as Nines kissed at his jaw, using his free hand to get the detective out of his jeans & boxers.

"You sure like going for my neck, Killer-" His sentence was cut off as the pressure around his throat increased, leaving a small smirk lingering on Gavin's lips. Nines rolled his eyes, knowing full & well that Gavin enjoyed danger, he was drawn to it. Like a moth to the flame. That's likely why he always tried to hard to antagonize Nines, he wanted to get a reaction. He wanted to feel the pain. He wanted to be in danger.

The android wasted no time in prepping the detective, using two fingers almost immediately, all the while keeping that tight grip on his neck, leaving little kisses along Gavin's jaw then along the side of his head over where the bullet had created a long wound. Gavin's soft moans from Nines' fingers stretching him had stopped as Nines' lips met with the wound, despite his action being nothing but genuinely caring, feeling the detective stiffen beneath him was enough to have him pull away. It wasn't like it hurt the detective, besides if it did, he'd probably be into that but Nines knew that it was the memory that was still fresh in his mind that had his muscles tightening.

Nines proceeded to move his hand from Gavin's neck to allow the man to take a few much needed breaths as he thrust his two fingers deeper without warning to distract the detective from the thoughts that were trying so desperately to consume his mind; to ruin the moment. He smirked as the detective let out a pleased yelp in response, his head falling back against the pillows as his nails dug into Nines' shoulder blades & for the first time since his receptors had been turned on, the pain was almost welcoming. It showed he was doing something right.

Gavin whimpered as Nines pulled himself away just to get out of his own trousers, his movements swift as to not waste any time. Nines was back on top of Gavin in mere seconds, having used a generous amount of lube, maneuvering the detective's legs so they were wrapped around his hips before pausing for a moment to look down at his partner just to double check he was ready. He should have expected he was going to get a sarky retort for showing consideration.

"Y'know we're gonna be late for work, right? On our first day back, what happened to your formality, huh? Fuckin' deviants." Gavin mumbled out as he stared up at the android with those familiar mischievous yet lust filled eyes & Nines simply rolled his eyes as he lined himself up with the detective's entrance, one hand on Gavin's hip, the other gripping his jaw as he kissed the detective at the same time as slowly pushing into him, going from tip to hilt in one fluid motion to get his partner to shut up for once, letting out a soft, glitchy sigh at the tightness he felt around his dick.

Soft whimpers filled the room from the detective's mouth as he pulled away from the kiss so he could bury his head against Nines' shoulder, biting down on the synthetic skin right in the crook of his neck as he balled the bed sheets between his fists. Nines gasped softly at the sensation of Gavin's teeth, pain radiating along his shoulder & up his neck as he began to create a steady, shallow rhythm with his hips, drinking up the pleased moans that were escaping Gavin's throat at a louder decibel with each of Nines' thrusts, only causing the android to get a little more rough with his movements.

His hand gripped the detective's throat once more as he pressed his lips to Gavin's ear, breathing heavily against it with each thrust, ignoring the pain in his throat that synthetically breathing did, too focused on Gavin's reactions to care. The way the man moaned & shuddered, the way his hands went from gripping the sheets to clawing at Nines' back as if they couldn't figure out what they were doing, the way he mumbled soft expletives against Nines' neck, the way his muscles tightened around Nines from time to time. It was pure bliss for the android & by the sounds of it, it was bliss for the detective too.

Suddenly, Gavin's teeth clamped down hard on Nines' neck, hard enough for a bitter chemical taste to fill his mouth & for once that bitter taste wasn't guilt, his muscles tightening around Nines as the android hit against something inside him. Nines whimpered at the burning sensation that began to travel through his neck, shoving Gavin by the shoulder with enough force to pin him to the bed, a smirk toying his lips as he saw Gavin look up at him with thirium seeping from the corner of his lips. 

The android pressed his hips as hard as he could against that sensitive spot inside of the detective before stilling his actions, holding himself in place just to watch Gavin squirm as revenge. Gavin let out a string of loud moans mixed with whimpers, glaring at Nines as his actions were brought to a halt.

"What? Why'd you stop?! Your batteries die or somethin'? Thought you'd have more in you than that, Tin Can-" Reed spat his words out with no bite but being sure they were just enough to pull a reaction from his partner. Nines let out a quiet, dominant sound that was close to a growl in response, his eyes going cold for barely a second as he managed to rasp out 'be careful what you wish for, Gavin' before starting up his movements again but this time his thrusts being rough & almost desperate, his nails digging into Gavin's neck as he firmly gripped his throat, hitting against the detective's prostate repeatedly with every forceful movement of his hips, no mercy in his actions. 

It didn't take long for Gavin to come with so many sensations engulfing his senses, not even needing hands on his dick. His brain couldn't focus on anything as Nines' cock hit his prostate perfectly over & over again. His vision was beginning to go fuzzy around the edges as his oxygen was being cut off, that feeling only exciting him further. Nines knew this, continuing his rough, messy thrusts until he came inside the detective, moaning softly as static filled his sensors, his biocomponents heating up at a rapid rate in response to all of the stimulation.

As Nines carefully pulled out, flopping beside Gavin on the bed, a comfortable silence fell around them, only being broken by the sound of Gavin's poor attempts to catch his breath, his throat raspy from all of the pleased sounds Nines had been pulling out of him with no remorse.

"Maybe feeling something aint so bad after all, huh?" The detective uttered after catching his breath, tilting his head so he could look at Nines who was still lying pretty still beside him. When he got no response, Gavin slowly sat himself up with a wince, wiping his stomach clean with his shirt he had discarded earlier, looking down at Nines as he gently swiped a finger across the android's neck to wipe away the thirium.

"I didn't break you, did I? Nines, you good?" Upon hearing his name, Nines blinked his eyes back open to look up at the detective with a content look in his eyes, as if in that moment, everything was okay & nothing hurt. A soft smirk played his lips as he opened his mouth to speak but no words escaping. Gavin nodded anyway as if understanding what Nines wanted to say, being able to tell how the android felt just by the look on his face.

"I know, I know, my ass is just _that_ great. Now, c'mon, guess we can't stay in euphoria forever. Duty calls."

 

 

An hour later than intended, Nines & Gavin made their way through the precinct doors _together_ for the first time since they became partners. Nines was in his signature black turtleneck & black jeans, missing his coat however. Beside him stood Gavin who was proudly wearing said coat, a smirk toying the corner of his lips. The pair made their way into the precinct together, being greeted by a few 'welcome back's & 'we missed you's which Gavin was sure were fake but he was in far too much of a good mood to care. Lieutenant Anderson & Connor glanced in their direction, both nodding with a knowing smile on their faces, as if they knew what had the pair running an hour late. Still, Gavin didn't let it bother him, he was still in his afterglow.

The detective made his way to the coffee machine in the break room, attempting to hide his slight limp as to not raise any questions & Nines followed like a shadow. God, he missed this. He missed his coffee, he missed the weird smell that lingered in the precinct, he missed the constant background noise. Part of him thought he'd never want to see this place again but with Nines now safely at his side, he couldn't wait for them to get back to work.

Despite Nines' icy exterior & Gavin's hot headed temper, despite their personalities matching the colour in which they bled, the pair needed one other. They were stronger as a team no matter how much the world tried to pull them apart. 

Gavin finally felt like he could breathe again. Every breath of air being welcoming & kind. The smell of roasting coffee beans filled his nostrils as he mumbled softly into his coffee cup, his words not really being directed at anybody in particular.

"Strange how things work out sometimes-" 

Almost immediately after the words left his mouth, his phone buzzed in his pocket & the detective couldn't help the smile that spread across his face knowing that things were going to be okay. He glanced over to his partner who was leaning against the counter beside him, the overhead break room light casting a soft blue hue across the right side of Nines' face, right where his LED once sat as if knowing that Nines was okay too. Gavin pulled his phone from his pocket to read what Nines had to say, the smile never leaving his lips.

[Strange things will happen if you let them, Detective.]

 

 

_End_DeviantAlicee.signing_off.exe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never expected anybody to really love this story at all, I wrote it bc I needed an outlet while my mind wallowed in a dark place, getting some of those emotions out in angsty writing really helped but the fact I got lovely comments was so inspiring to keep on writing so thank you so much for sticking it out & reading to the end.
> 
> With this being my first ever fic, I'm aware it isn't perfect & in the future I will go back & improve the sentence structure & what not but for now; thank you. You can find me in my virtual cave @DeviantAlicee on tumblr/twitter.
> 
> Edit from future!Alice: You should go check out my other fics if you actually got to the end of this one because my writing has improved drastically since this damn fic;)


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